The Burden On Her Back
by asian anonymous
Summary: Someone's been on a killing spree, looking for the research of a famous alchemist. And if they find what they're looking for, Riza's world will go spiraling out of control. Little does she know, she'll end up dragging a certain Flame Alchemist's world down with her. Not to mention... two Flame Alchemists can only lead to trouble. BEING REWRITTEN
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot. **

**Notice: some characters are made up, complete figments of my imagination. Sorry the names don't make sense in this story **

**Just to clarify, this takes place in a universe where Hughes hasn't died, and Riza never showed Roy her father's research notes. Roy figured out flame alchemy on his own, and Riza never told anyone else of her tattoo.**

* * *

"DAMN IT!" The Colonel slammed his fist down on the desk. Hard. Another dead end. Where the hell was this guy hiding out?! "Damn it, damn it, damn it!" The whole desk rattled with his inflicted anger.

"Whoa there tiger, calm yourself. I'm sure something'll turn up soon," assured his close friend, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes. "Besides, I'm not sure if your poor desk can handle any more of your misdirected anger," he said, gesturing towards the wooden edge that was beginning to splinter beneath his hands, still clenched in fury.

"I will most certainly NOT calm down Hughes. That's the 6th murder this month, and there's no trace of the guy! Where is he hiding, and why these people?" He ran a tired hand through his dark hair. "They're so specific. There's a reason for it, I know it. It's no accident that she was killed," he said, pointing at a smiling woman holding up a silver watch. "Or her," he continued, jabbing an impatient finger at another photograph of a woman whose white lab coat was bright in comparison to her dark pants. "Or even her!"

As he continued rambling to himself, his closest friend looked on sadly. He was in way over his head. This case had really rattled him, and Hughes couldn't quite figure out why. He knew for a fact that none of the victims had been associated with him personally. Then why had this case hit him so hard?

Meanwhile, Colonel Mustang was busy imagining the horrible things he would do to that man once caught. The awful, horrendous fate he would make sure the killer would receive. Maybe he was a bit of a playboy. But even he knew women were NOT toys, or things to be taken advantage of. If his time with his personal bodyguard had taught him anything, it was that women were capable of everything a man was, if not more.

The man who had ruined these womens' dignity right before mercilessly slaughtering these poor women would pay. He would make sure of it. He would find a way to banish the reoccurring nightmare. If it was the last thing he did.

The phone rang, startling both men out of their thoughts. Roy couldn't get to the phone fast enough.

"What? What is it? If you haven't noticed, I'M WORKING ON A CASE HERE!" His voice quickly elevated, making all those in the room jump in surprise.

Everyone but Lieutenant Hawkeye.

"Sir, please be quieter when answering the phone, and calm down," she responded calmly, not looking up from her desk. He huffed.

"Fine." he turned back to the phone. "What is it?"

The voice cut through the utter silence on the room.

"There's been another incident."

* * *

The rain made a strange noise as it fell down on the car windshield.

"I won't beat around the bush," began Colonel Mustang "who was it this time?"

"Another woman, sir. She was a local. An alchemist, according to the other civilians who knew her. And she was no amateur either. Only reason she wasn't with the state was probably because she didn't want to be," replied Lt. Hawkeye "Or at least, that's what they said."

"Then why am I here?" He sighed, leaning against the window. "Why not send someone else?"

"Because sir," she looked up to meet his eyes "I said that there was a victim. I never said that she _died_."

* * *

The hospital smelled weird. Weird and wrong. It smelled too _clean_.

"So Miss, did you notice anything about this man that could help us identify him? Hair color, height, age, anything?" Mustang pressed further, and Lt. Hawkeye could see that this was making the poor woman visibly uncomfortable. She could also see the returning fear as is crept back into her eyes.

"Sir!" He swiveled around, eyes meeting hers in a glare. His gaze hardened in determination. "Roy," she said again, softer. His posture relaxed. "Please let me handle this." He nodded, not even needing to think about it. "I'll just sit over there." He stood from his seat next to her bed. As they passed each other he grabbed her by the arm and whispered just barely loud enough to hear :"I know there's something only a woman can relate to. She's the only one to ever have survived, and this was by sheer luck that someone of military status was nearby. Please Riza, I can't let this happen to someone else."

For a split second, she could hear the pleading in his voice. The desperation to save this fate from someone else. And then the realization hit her like a brick. One of the previous victims had been someone he loved. Someone who wasn't her. Of course.

Lt. Colonel Hughes could feel the tension pressing up around him, it was so thick. He cleared his throat. Riza hurried back to what had been the Colonel's seat.

"Hello there," she offered a smile at the tearing-up woman. "I'm Riza." the woman gave her a small smile in return. "People call me Bell. Pleased to meet you." There was a silent understanding between the two, as they gave each other a certain look, one that only a woman would understand.

"Bell, what really happened?" Riza asked softly. "He... he violated you, didn't he?" Roy's head shot up to stare open-mouthed at them. _That's what happened? But I... I thought she had been rescued in time to save her from... from..."_ The Colonel's thoughts were incoherent. His fist was clenched in fury.

_So,_ Hughes thought to himself _I guess there ARE some things only a woman can know at a moment's glance._

"Well, yes. But, no, not like that." Riza gave her a questioning look. "He only... only looked at my back. He didn't do anything else. Well, after uttering on and on about some research."

The three military officers turned to look at each other. Research?

"Bell, you need to tell me exactly what he said. What kind of research?"

"He said he was looking for some research notes. Something about alchemy." Riza's eye's widened. Luckily, her back was turned, saving her from questions from the two men.

Bell said nothing. She knew that look. A look of comprehension. A look of alarm.

A look of fear.

* * *

"Thank you for allowing us to speak with you today, Miss Bell. We are sorry for the hardships you have faced." Colonel and his friend thanked the woman while she smiled over at them from her hospital bed.

"If I may, could I speak with Riza for a moment?" Mustang nodded.

"Of course. Lt. Hawkeye, you can stay. Me and Lt. Colonel Hughes will be waiting in the car out front." She saluted, standing up strait. "Yes sir." As the two friends left together, discussing under their breath the newfound discovery.

As the doors swung shut, Riza turned to face the woman, whose jaw hung open in amazement.

"Elizabeth? Elizabeth Hawkeye? Is that really you?" Hawkeye looked at her in shock.

"How... How did you know my name? I haven't used that name since before I graduated." Bell smiled. (Riza used the name 'Elizabeth' around people who weren't family/deemed worthy enough by her father to know her name.)

"Well, I suppose you wouldn't remember me. It has been quite a while since I saw you last."

Bell could see Riza trying to put the pieces together in her mind. She decided to give her a hint. After all, it had been more than ten years ago.

"My real name is Isabel." It took Riza less than a second.

"Isabel? Isabel Kano? I haven't seen you since... since my father died." Isabel took her hand. "I know. I remember." Sure seems like you've grown up, though the same thing seems to have happened to me. My old friend, Elizabeth Hawkeye. It's been far too long. Can't believe I didn't recognize you earlier, we spent so much time together back then."

Riza chuckled. "Yeah, we were pretty great friends back then. We did see each other pretty often, considering our parents were colleagues."

A snort from Bell. "Yeah, meaning your father was the boss of my mother."

Riza turned back to face her long-forgotten friend. "Have you seen any other of girls? Y'know, the ones we used to play with while all of our parents worked together?"

Bell's expression turned grim. Sad, even. "Didn't you hear? We're the last two left. Linda, Margaret, Harriet, Amanda, Rita, and Selene. All dead." She mused over the though for a moment.

"Come to think of it, you don't think...? Does this have something to do with our parents? Their work?" Riza hadn't thought of that.

"The research... THE RESEARCH! They were looking for their research notes!" Riza felt so stupid now. He had been looking for her. Somehow, he'd know one of the girls carried their parents' work. Once all of the scientists had died, the murderer had figured out that they'd left their work to their children. but that didn't explain how he'd known about where it'd be.

So stupid. So, so stupid. She'd made a mistake somewhere, somehow. And her old playmates had paid the price.

She hadn't been careful enough. And now the were _dead. _

"This is all my fault." Her voice came out in a strangled whisper. "Those notes. He knew on of us had their notes. And so he went after all of us, one by one. But," she was crying now, tears rolling down her face. "I left home, changed my first name years ago. I'm next on the list; he'll know I'm alive now. I'm well known around here."

She stopped her rambling to gather Bell in her arms, pulling her into a hug. "I'm sorry Bell. I am so, so sorry." Bell stroked her hair. "You didn't know there was a murderer. You didn't know how far he'd go. But wait. There's one thing I don't understand. What's with the looking at the backs?"

Riza turned her face downward. "I can't tell you that. Please, I can't put you in anymore danger."

Bell nodded. "I understand."

* * *

The Colonel's thoughts were whizzing around at a thousand miles and hour.

The Lt. Colonel Hughes was the first to speak.

"D'you think that maybe he hadn't quite violated them in the way we thought? Maybe he didn't do what we thought he had." He hastily re-worded when he saw Roy's expression. "I'm not saying what he did was any better! I'm trying to say; maybe we've been looking at this all the wrong way."

"Don't you see Roy? He's looking for something! Something important enough to kill for."

At that moment, the car door opened, and Riza slid into the seat next to the Colonel.

"Riza, are you alright?"

"No."

Both didn't know what to say to her answer. Riza Hawkeye did not show vulnerability. Ever.

"Take me home."

* * *

**Sorry the plot doesn't make much sense. But hey, I did try to warn you in the beginning. Sorry the chapter wasn't very long. Hope you enjoyed!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.**

**Warning: Very emotional chapter. Sorry it's not well written, though I tried my best. **

**-Pyro**

* * *

Riza didn't sleep that night.

She lay curled up in her bed, her golden hair spilling out over her pillow. Her pale skin shone from the light coming in from her window. Her hand lay against her bare stomach, trying to ease her anxiety. Any moment now, she could feel those hands on her face, over her mouth. Or a knife pressed to her throat.

Or even a gun pressed to her head.

Riza Hawkeye was crying.

Loud, heaving sobs wracked her whole body, shaking her tiny frame.

_Pathetic, pathetic PATHETIC!_ She cried even louder now, her self confidence shrinking by the minute.

_No wonder the Colonel will ever love you, you're nothing but a pathetic useless mess who can't reel in her own emotions. Suck it up, loser! Don't cry dammit!_

Without even meaning to, she reached over to the phone stationed at her bedside table, dialing one of the only people she trusted.

Maria Ross.

Maria answered on the first ring.

"Riza! What are you doing up this late? Are you alright?" Her best female friend's voice was laced with concern.

"...Maria... I... I need you to... pick me up tomorrow... Could.. could I possibly hitch a ride with you tomorrow to work?"

Riza was quick to think of an excuse. Then again, it wasn't really an excuse; she doubted that she'd be in any condition to drive in a couple of hours.

She just needed to hear a voice of someone she cared about. A friend. But who was she fooling? There was only one person whose voice she wanted to hear.

"Yes, yes of course! Riza, what's wrong?!" Maria paused only to hear her beginning to sob again.

"Riza, what is it? Please, let me help you..."

"I.. I can't," she said mostly to herself, as a single tear dripped down her face.

"It's okay. If you don't want me to know, I won't pry." Riza gave a sigh of relief.

"But...I will ask you one thing. Why call me? Why not call The Colonel? Why not call Roy? He lives closer to you than I do, and-"

"No." Maria held the phone to her ear in silence for a moment.

"I will not let the Colonel hear me in this condition. This pathetic, worthless state I am in is much less than he deserves to hear. I will not punish him like that."

Maria blinked. _Is she being serious right now?_ The Colonel didn't care what she sounded like, or looked like, or even smelled like! Maybe the pair a was too oblivious for their own good. Roy didn't care about those things, it was obvious he only cared that his Riza was okay.

She smirked. _His Riza._ No doubt about it. Everyone at the office saw the two honest-to-god oblivious idiots, constantly ignoring the signs. _Every. Freaking. Day._

And it wasn't like they were flirting. They didn't even do that. Gah, they were so clueless it was almost painful to watch. Just a small interaction, the Maria could see her feelings written all over her face. The feeling as if butterflies were frantically fluttering around in her stomach.

The loved each other. And everyone knew it.

"Riza, please, Roy wouldn't care. Just call him. It'll make you feel better." Riza sniffled.

"I won't make him suffer!"

And with that, she slammed the phone back down on the receiver, and started to cry.

* * *

_The room was dark, dark enough that the Colonel could only see the __silhouette of the person laying beside him. He could hear her breathing, the steady pattern indicating she was still sleeping. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, the feel of her pajamas soft against his hands. And suddenly, they were sitting up, facing each other._

_The curtains were open, and the moonlight that shone in illuminated her beautiful face. He saw her eyes, staring into his very soul. She smiled, becoming lovelier still. _

_BANG!_

_And then there was a small hole, right between her eyes. Blood came trickling out, and she collapsed in his arms._

_And the bloodied bullet landed in his lap._

_He scrambled frantically, gathering her upright in his arms. In the loudest voice she could muster, the words came pouring out;_

_"Why couldn't you save me?"_

_And then she was cold and limp in his arms, her life slipping away between her fingers._

_Dead._

_And it was all his fault._

* * *

Roy Mustang woke up screaming.

He shot up in bed panting, his sheets twisted around his legs and torso.

_All...My...Fault.._

_And then she was dead._ His fist pounded down on his legs. _Because I couldn't find a damn killer!_ His fist went haywire, seeking a solid target. _  
_

_No. NONONONONO!_ They found his bedpost first. _Not Riza! Anyone but Riza! No... _

_Not my Riza._

He slumped in defeat, fists throbbing with the bruises to come, bawling his onyx eyes out.

_Ring!_

His hand was on the phone in less than a second. Almost immediately composed, he answered.

"This is Colonel Mustang speaking. What's the issue?" He was a little more than surprised to hear it was Second Lieutenant Maria Ross calling.

"There is no issue sir. I called to ask you a personal favor." He groaned.

"2nd Lt. Ross, I'd be more than happy to hear your request _after_ 2 in the morning." He massaged his forehead, and lay back down on his mattress. Maria rolled her eyes, preparing for the amusement at what the Colonel's reaction would be.

"But sir-"

"Ross, I don't have the energy to deal with a personal crisis this early in the morning. Please, I promise I will help you with whatever you need _tomorrow."_

_"It's about Riza."_

For the second time that night, he sat upright in bed.

"What is it? What's wrong?! Is she okay? Is she hurt?!" Maria Ross was wearing a full-blown smile now. _He did care. He was concerned about the well-being of his personal body guard.__  
_

"No sir. She's fine." She could tell he'd physically relaxed, easing the tension behind his muscles. "But sir, I think something is bothering her. She called me just a minute ago and she was... well, she was... " How could she out this delicately? _Hmm.._

"Spit it out Ross!"

"She was crying, sir." His eyes went so wide, he suspected they could've fallen out of his head. Riza Hawkeye did not cry. Ever. Even when he'd watched her get shot during combat in Ishbal. She hadn't shed a tear.

"What?"

"You heard me. She was falling apart at the seams. Sobbing, even. I'm not sure what's going on right now. But I know I can't help her. But I'd bet you could. Please help her Colonel. I know you can. She's strong; but every woman has a weak spot."

She heard a sharp inhale before continuing. "She asked me to drive her to work tomorrow. I asked why she hadn't asked you to do it. She said she didn't want you to see her like that. She said she was... pathetic. She didn't want to call you because she said something about not making you suffer."

Him? Suffer because of Riza? What the hell? Was she _insane?_

"So I was wondering if you'd pick her up tomorrow. I think she's had a late night, so if she doesn't come out when you knock on the door, I'm sure you could use alchemy or something. Climb in through her window if you have to."

"Whatever it is you secret boyfriends are supposed to do," she muttered under her breath.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that. What did you say?" He asked, clueless as usual.

Maria sighed. "It was nothing. Just pick her up in the morning. Got it?"

Rhetorical question.

As if he'd pass up a chance to spend some extra time with Riza.

* * *

**Hey guys! Can't believe some people actually took the time to read this crap. Thanks! :)**

**Anyway, just in case you didn't know, my pen name for the moment will be changing soon, so sorry 'bout that. And in case you were wondering, Pyro is me. That's my nickname in the real world. (Long story)You can totally call me that. Well, I'm out. Whoever is reading this a) thank you so much and b) I promise I'll update at least once a week.**

**Later,**

**-Pyro**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.**

**Once again: Sorry it's not well written, though I tried my best.**

**Again for those who actually watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, sorry there are so many plot holes. (Yes, I know in the reality of the show, these things couldn't ever happen according to the rules of alchemy)**

**-Pyro**

* * *

6:00 on the dot, Colonel Roy Mustang was standing on Riza Hawkeye's front porch. The sky had yet to lighten up, which wasn't unusual considering how early it was.

His hand poised over the wooden surface, was about a millisecond away from knocking when the door swung open. He found himself with his fist barely grazing the forehead of Lt. Riza Hawkeye. (She _was_ shorter than him)

Her wary face lit up at the sight of the Colonel leaning against her doorframe. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. His hair was tousled and his shirt collar was crooked. His expression was positively joyful, but Hawkeye could tell he, just like her, hadn't gotten much sleep last night.

He had the posture of a very, very tired man. He hadn't put his jacket on right, a telltale sign of something wrong happening. He wore the same dark circles under his eyes. Only difference was, he hadn't masked them under layers of concealer like she had.

While she knew her disguise was flawless, she couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. Guilty that she could keep hiding while others couldn't. Roy, and Bell. And all her old friends from years ago. All her hiding was going to cost someone she loved. Dearly.

Putting that aside for the moment, smiled, and said politely "Good morning, sir. Might I ask what you're doing here?" He smiled back.

"Why, I'm here to pick you up. A certain friend of yours informed me that you needed a ride to work this morning. I offered to take you instead because I live closer."

They began walking down the steps and to his car. He opened the door to the front seat, and slid in beside her. Shutting the door behind him and staring the engine, he was the first to begin casual conversation.

"So, what d'you think is wrong with your car? Engine broken? Something wrong with the brakes?" She noncommittally shrugged her shoulders, turning to the window as her face flushed.

"I don't know. But then again, I'm no good with cars. My area of expertise is weaponry." She made sure to not look back until her face returned to its normal color.

He chuckled. "Well ain't that the truth. I remember when your father first tried to teach you how to drive..." She smacked him in the arm.

"Hey, don't you start with that!" She paused before apologizing "Forgive me, sir!"

He glared at her. "Hey, hey, hey. You know I hate that. Don't you go and start with that 'sir' business. Not until absolutely necessary. We've known each other since we were children. How long is it gonna take for you to call me by my first name?"

She looked down at her lap. "Sorry si- Roy."

"Thanks," he said as he pulled up against the curb.

"C'mon it's time for work."

She was muttering under her breath as she followed him into the building.

"Besides, who builds something like that in the middle of nowhere? That damned barn was just asking for it..."

* * *

Riza Hawkeye sighed.

Roy had almost lost his mind in the office today, when Lt. Colonel Hughes had attempted to lighten the mood by bragging about his daughter. Albeit, she was rather adorable, but _jeez_ that man had issues.

The Colonel nearly throttled his friend, and Hawkeye suggested that she and Hughes out to get coffee or something.

So here they stood, coffees in hand, at the steps outside of Central Command. For once she was grateful they'd been called to Central City to assist with this murder. Mustang and his team needed this opportunity to help boost themselves higher in the ranks. And she needed this chance to get to the bottom of this herself.

Not for the military. Not just for herself. Not even because of her friends.

For her father.

True, he had been a seriously crappy father. He had never been there, not when her mother had gotten sick. Not even to come to her funeral.

He'd just stayed locked up in his stupid room.

It had been him to copy his research into her skin. Him who had stained her pale flesh with written instructions on one of the most difficult alchemy practices ever known to man.

Flame alchemy.

He'd given her a gift that belonged to only the gods. Those stupid markings.

Not to mention carving that blasted symbol into her eyes. _I was lucky the power of the transmutation kicked in before I went blind._

Her father had been a real asshole, she couldn't deny that. But, he was still her father. And she couldn't just throw away his life's work.

When he practiced the art of flame alchemy, it was dark and cruel and an abuse of power.

But when Roy used his alchemy...

It was for protection. For self-defense. So he could protect the innocent and take a stand for what he believed in. And so he could guarantee the safety of the ones he cared about. So the people he loved would remain safe.

He was not a monster. Not like his teacher. That bastard hadn't even offered to leave Roy his work. No, in her father's words, that would've been 'too predictable.'

_Well dad,_ she thought in spite. _Looks like you were wrong. It couldn't have been that hard to figure it out, or else there wouldn't be a psychopath on the loose, running around, killing all of the daughters of all those involved. Should've left it to Roy. He could've put it to better use.  
_

She plopped down on the stone steps, her fingers digging into her knees as she was lost in her thoughts. (Hughes, of course, was oblivious to her inner toil. Too busy fawning over his daughter.)

_I know he was looking for my father's findings, but why didn't he ask me?_ She thought for a moment before reaching a conclusion. That idiot. _He didn't want me to think I was being used just to find the information. No... Roy is noble, but he's not stupid. He had a stupid amount of pride, but he knows when to swallow it and ask for help. _

_That's not it. _

_So what then?_

_Crap. _

_He must've gone to mother before she died._

_It wasn't a bad assumption to make. What would a girl in her late teens know about flame alchemy? _She smirked as she took a sip of coffee.

_More than he'll ever know. I pored over those notes for years. _

_And with that knowledge, I won't let you hurt any more of the people I care about. _

_So you know my secret. Better off this way._

_No more secrets then._

She stood, crushing her styrofoam cup in her fist. Her eyes flashed dangerously, and the cup was reduced to ash in a matter of seconds.

_I will not hold back._

* * *

**Hey guys! Sorry the plot is crap and there are all these weird plot twists. But hey, I never forced you to read it did I? **

**WARNING: STOP READING NOW! THIS STORY DOESN'T ACTUALLY MAKE ANY SENSE!**

**Later, **

**-Pyro**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.**

**PLEASE READ THIS.**

**Once again: Sorry it's not well written, though I tried my best.**

**Again for those who actually watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, sorry there are so many plot holes. (Yes, I know in the reality of the show, these things couldn't ever happen according to the rules of alchemy)**

**Just to clarify, Riza's eyes have ****powerful fire alchemy circles carved into them, to faint to see anymore, as the scars have faded over a this point. She only needs the will to use the fire. (Kind of of like firebending if you think about it.) Oh, and I don't own that either. **

**-Pyro **

**(And sorry that I keep ****switching between their first name, last name, and rank.)**

* * *

Riza and Lt. Colonel Mustang walked back to the office a leisurely pace making small talk as they made their way to the office.

When they arrived back at the office and sat back down at their desks, Hawkeye began to work her way through her enormous stack of papers, piled high.

Well before the end of the day, Hawkeye had finished her work, and even had found the time to nag the Colonel about the lack of progression in his.

But it wasn't until a couple hours after lunch that the phone rang.

After lunch break, Lt. Hawkeye was sitting at her desk, supervising the Colonel, making sure that he got some work done.

"I'll be right back. I need to use the restroom," he said, standing up. She rolled her eyes, this was no doubt another plot to escape his ever-growing heap of paperwork.

"Do you need me to accompany you sir?" He shook his head.

"No, I'll be perfectly safe. Thank you Lt. Hawkeye." She listened to the slowly fading sounds of his footsteps as he headed toward the bathroom.

_RING!_

Riza Hawkeye calmly answered, not taking her eyes off the door.

_And for more than one reason,_ the little voice in her head said with amusement.

_Shut up!,_ she took a moment to reflect on that. _Dear god I'm going insane. I'm even hearing voices. I need some sleep._

"Lieutenant Hawkeye speaking. What's the issue?"

_"You don't have to be so formal. With an attitude like that, how on earth do you ever plan on getting yourself a husband?"_

"Excuse me? Who is this?" The woman's voice sent chills up Riza's spine, the cold and calculating tone was unsettling.

_"Why, just a weary researcher passing through. Been on the search a long time. And with you, I've almost completed my work."_

Riza's eyes narrowed. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off.

_"Don't bother denying it, darling. I know what you've got. And I'm sure you know what means I'll use to get it. I want that research, dear."_

Riza's knuckles were turning white. The tremor in her voice was barely detectable as she replied, "Who are you? And what do you want?" She was sure to keep her voice down, as to not alert any others of the subject of her call.

_"We will find you. We will take it by force if __necessary. And we will cut you down. We are watching"_

_"If anyone interferes, we will drag your friends down with you. Make a move to oppose us, and you will be sorry."_ Riza stiffened. Her heart beat erratically in her chest, and the panic was making her dizzy. She would go to any lengths to protect her friends. Her team. She had no one left but her team.

_"Just warning you,"_ she paused to draw out the suspense.

The next words uttered made her blood turn to ice.

_"And the first to die will be Roy Mustang."_

"You will leave him alone," she growled out, turning her back to the rest of the room. She looked out the window, suddenly realizing that anyone could be watching her friends through the huge windows.

_"Aww... Don't worry. We'll make sure the rest of your friends also get some... 'attention.' We wouldn't want to leave anyone out, now would we?" _

"LEAVE THEM ALONE!" Riza shrieked into the phone, just barely before slamming it back down. The whole room turned to stare at her, shock easily read on their faces. Riza had tears running down her face, and her cheeks were flushed a bright pink. Havoc's mouth dropped open, his half-smoke cigarette falling to the desk and rolling onto the floor.

"Umm, Riza are you okay?" he asked hesitantly standing up and moving towards her, as if approaching a wild animal.

"Riza, can you answer me? Do you need help? Fuery, help me with her, I think she's going into shock!" Most of the team was still sitting at their desks, too confused to stand up. They could even begin to wrap their head around the idea. Riza Hawkeye. Was crying. _CRYING._ Like, openly. As in right in front of them.

Fuery was gently pushed aside by 2nd Lieutenant Maria Ross. "Riza. Riza, look at me. Are you alright?" Her friend gave her a look. A look that when intercepted by another female, was taken to mean _"What the hell do you think?"_

She leaned in closer to whisper in Riza's ear.

"Calm down, or I will walk right into the Men's room and drag Roy here." Riza pulled back, staring her friend dead in the face, tears still falling from her eyes.

"You wouldn't."

"I think we both know I would." She gave her a sympathetic smile before continuing in a hushed tone. "Look Riza, I don't know what's going on, but I know Roy can make it better, at least to some degree. You can't hide yourself from him. For god's sake Riza, let him in."

"I won't allow that." Maria rolled her eyes.

_She's one of my closest friends, but god, she's so stubborn._ Even her thoughts were exhausted with Riza. Dammit, what else could she do to push these two together?

She was practically shoving at this point, and the two were being just so... Ugh!

"Havoc, watch her," Maria commanded. He obeyed, not out of fear of her wrath, but out of concern. Riza collapsed into his arms, not caring anymore. _I could kill him._

_Because of me, the next funeral I attend could be his._

_He would be dead._

_And I'd be responsible._

She sat up gasping, choking on air as her lungs struggled to pump oxygen through her bloodstream.

"I...can't... gotta.. go...won't... stay-" she managed to force out just be fore she fainted back into Fuery and Havocs's awaiting arms.

Falman checked her pulse, making sure she was unharmed.

"She'll be alright, she's just unconscious. Give her a couple of minutes, she'll be up and about, scary as ever."

"Well that's a relief. I'll go get the Colo-"

"No." Maria interrupted. "The reason she reacted like that? I told her I'd go get the Colonel if she didn't calm down." The others turned to look at each other, unbelieving that legendary 'Hawk's Eye' was so afraid of seeing the Colonel at her worst.

2nd Lieutenant Breda was the first to respond.

"So, guess she really is a woman deep down," Breda mused.

"Not one of you will mention this to Roy. Is that clear?" They nodded in confirmation.

"Good. Now, please help me wake up Hawkeye."

And of course, Roy chose that exact moment to enter the room.

"What the hell is going on here?!" The four men guiltily parted to reveal Maria bent over a limp Riza Hawkeye.

And suddenly Roy's nightmare was replaying itself in his head.

"Roy.. ROY!" Maria stood to slap him in the shoulder. Hard.

"Ow... Oh, um, thanks." Realizing the situation at hand, he rushed to her side, gently sliding his arm under her shoulders and lifting him into his arms.

Maria's inner fangirl was dying.

The rest of the team exchanged a look. One look, meaning _'it's about damn time.'_

Now safely cradled in his arms, he stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"What happened?" He growled, turning to the rest of the team, all cowering under his accusing gaze.

"N-n-nothing sir. She- she was walking to the door when she umm, she just collapsed!" Fuery was quick to fabricate a story.

"Did she say anything? Falman, see anything wrong with her?" They shared an uncertain glance.

_What do we say?_

"She's umm, well she's sleep deprived sir." He snorted, subconsciously tracing her beautiful features with his thumb.

"Yeah, right. I know Hawkeye. I've seen her go a straight week without so much as a nap."

Maria smiled as a perfect explanation popped into her head.

"She's PMSing."

* * *

** Hey guys. Sorry this took so long, I'll try to be faster next time.**

**I just wanted to say thank you to all of the people who actually took the time to read this crap, especially WhispersOfWings. Thank you so much for your support, and I promise I'll keep at it.**

**Later,**

**-Pyro**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot. **

**Oh, and I screwed up the fact that Riza lives in an apartment and not a house, but sorry, it's gonna stay that way. (And I'm also aware that they don't use my currency.)**

* * *

"..."

"Umm, did you just say that-" The Colonel began nervously, knowing he was stepping into a very dangerous territory.

"She's PMSing. Yep," Maria said, rocking back on her heels, silently enjoying the uncomfortable expressions on their faces. She made a mental note to save this excuse for another emergency. It sure shut guys up quick.

Even the four males in the room who knew for a fact that it was most definitely not the reason she'd collapsed panicked. How would they know? For all they knew, she really was y'know... having _that_ problem.

"When you say she's..." Havoc nervously began, fiddling with the cigarette that had fallen to the floor earlier.

"It's her time of the month, she has a 'visitor,' she's on her period. How else do you want me to say it?" Maria's amusement only grew as her co-workers paled with each word.

"Umm... so, uh, what do we do now?" The Colonel awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, trying to switch gears. Maria instantly turned serious again.

"Well I don't have any ibuprofen on me," Maria said as she crouched to feel her forehead, careful to avoid moving her from the Colonel's protective embrace. "but she's out cold so that shouldn't be a problem for a while. She is a bit sleep deprived, so I think that's that'll need fixing first. Colonel, think you could-"

"Shh!" He shushed her, as Riza's eyelids had begun to flutter, and her head began to move back and forth.

"Mmm... I'm sleepy," she mumbled into his shirt, pressing her face into his chest. His eyes bugged and the look of complete and utter surprise crossed his face.

"Maria," he stage whispered, careful to not shift Riza too much. "What do I do?" The guys all restrained themselves from letting a shit-eating grin take over.

Finally. Some progress.

"Take her home. You just need to take her inside, I'm sure she'll be able to handle it from there. Here," she walked over to her desk and pulled out a key. "take this. It's her spare. Just make sure to leave it somewhere she can find it."

As he took the small key, he asked nervously, "So, I'm doing this alone...?" She nodded, quickly thinking up an excuse.

"I have to meet someone later for a family matter. Sorry," she apologized.

Falman was the first to whip out another excuse, and then the others followed his example.

"Yeah, I've got to visit my ..."

"I've got so many errands to run..."

"I've got a date tonight and I..."

It looked like the Colonel would have to face this challenge alone. He looked down, a small smile forming on his face as he held her. Riza was still clutched firmly in his arms, one hand under her knees and the other supporting her shoulders.

_He's carrying her bridal style,_ mused Fuery. _How fitting. _

Despite her physical strength, he found that she weighed hardly anything.

He straightened, careful not to disrupt her sleep. "Well then, I suppose it's time to bring her home. Maria," he said gesturing toward the door. "Would you mind?" She nodded, and politely opened the door for him.

"I think I've got a few moments to spare," she said as he began to walk out. "I'll help you get her to you car." He hesitated for a moment, then tuned to address his men.

"Not a word of this to anyone. Do you understand me?" They nodded, saluting him as he left the office. Maria followed behind, closing the door behind her. But just before she did, she heard a voice drift through the crack and had to stifle a laugh.

"Told you so! Ha! You owe me twenty!"

* * *

"Sir, is there something bothering you?" Maria asked the Colonel as she remained a few paces behind him. "You seem a little on edge."

"No, it's just... I didn't get much sleep last night," he answered honestly, still holding Riza's sleeping figure to his chest. Maria decided probe around for answers. She needed to know if he was worth the effort.

"Were you... busy?" she asked, raising one slender eyebrow at him. He blushed, looking down at the woman in his arms. "No. I don't do... that sort of thing anymore."

Maria smirked. So Riza's little talk with him about how it was wrong to treat girls like replaceable toys was cruel had gotten through that thick skull of his. The infamous player Roy Mustang would give it all up for Riza Hawkeye.

"Couldn't sleep?" She knew by the way his stride faltered that she'd struck a nerve. He stopped to take in a shallow breath.

"...Sir?" She asked quietly. She took note of how his grip on Riza's small frame tightened ever so slightly.

"It's nothing." She walked in front to face him, looking him dead in the eyes. "Don't pull that crap with me, Roy. What's bothering you?"

"Just a bad dream, " he mumbled just loud enough for her to hear and resumed walking to his car. She graciously opened the door, and managed to maneuver Riza into the front seat bench.

He rolled down his window, looking at Maria.

"Thanks for the help," he said, and she smiled. "No problem. Happy yo help. But seriously," she said leaning in. "whatever's bothering you, you can talk to me about it. Or Riza. Or even Jean! We're your _friends,_ Roy. You have to learn to depend on us at some point."

She waved goodbye as the engine purred to life, and the car drove off.

_You'd better take care of her Colonel. God knows she deserves it. _

* * *

Riza was leaning heavily against Roy's shoulder as the car rumbled onward. At least, she _had_ been, until her head landed in the Colonel's lap. He looked surprised for a moment as her hand stretched out so she was draped over his legs, then tentatively removed one hand from the steering wheel to stroke her hair. He was careful to keep his eyes on the road, as he couldn't even begin to imagine the horror of getting into an accident with Riza in the car.

_If that were to happen, I might not ever sleep again._

And then the overwhelming guilt from last night had swallowed him again. He gritted his teeth as he desperately tried to get his mind back on track. An episode right now would only make things worse. Anything, _anything_ else would be better.

Riza took that moment to nuzzle her head into his stomach. And suddenly, the anxiety twisting deep inside of him melted away. She looked like an angel, and her lips were pulled back into a dreamy smile, as she continued drifting in her state of sleep. Her hair had fallen out of it's usual confinement, fanning out around her face.

He sighed as the car pulled up to her house. Guess it was time to bring her upstairs to her bedroom. (In his defense, he only knew that because of when he'd helped her move in.)

Hoisting her out of the car and up the stairs hadn't been the difficult part. Not even the taking off her shoes and coat while she was still thrown over his shoulder. The hard part, was actually getting her into the damn bed.

"No, no, no. Stay," she whimpered as she clung desperately to him. Her arms were wound around the back of his neck, and her weight was beginning to pull him down onto her. He tried easing her hands off, but her grip was like steel. He sighed.

_Even when she's asleep she's so strong. Strong and stubborn, that's my girl._ He smiled fondly down at the woman who had him wrapped around her pinky. Saddest part was, she didn't even know it.

"Riza," he coaxed. "I'm sorry but I gotta go." She moaned in protest, still not letting go.

"I promise I'll see you tomorrow okay?" She nodded, just before her head lolled to the side, dropping down onto the bed. He kissed her forehead, and pulled the key out of his pocket. He placed it on her bedside table, knowing she'd see it the next morning.

"Bye Riz," he whispered, calling by one of her childhood names. "see you tomorrow."

* * *

It was dark, barely enough light to see the woman's sleeping face. But one thing that could be seen, was the shadow lurking in the corner, quietly making their way to her bed. A dark hand reached out to trace the side of her face with a painted fingernail, while slipping a small shiny object into their pocket. A key.

The figure spoke, its voice chilling the room with every calculating word.

"Soon, darling. Soon it'll be your time. It's no fun to kill you in your sleep. No pain, no gain, that's what he always said. So I'll wait." The woman paused. "I'm not a very patient person, I'm afraid. We'll give you this one. Some extra time. But next time, we will not be so forgiving." Her eyes lit up with unconfined madness.

"Next time, you will die."

* * *

**Hey guys! Sorry if that isn't what you were expecting, I'm still changing the story around. Not sure how I'm going to develop thing yet. We'l see where this goes, and if you guys don't like it, I can always change it. I've go t a few other ideas. Thanks for reading!**

**-Pyro**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.**

**Hey guys! Sorry the last chapter took so long, I've been busy with school. (Lame excuse, I know.)**

**I know this piece might not be what you were expecting, and that it's a bit confusing. so let me clarify:**

**Riza never told Roy about the tattoo, and he (somehow) learned Fire alchemy on his own. Riza can perform it too, only she doesn't need circles because she's already got two powerful one carves into the surface of her eyes. (Yes, I know that isn't how it really works.) She carries her father's work.**

**There's a mysterious person, well, more than one actually, that's been searching for that work. Riza's father had colleagues, and somehow it got out that one of their daughters had the work. They're killing off the girls, picking them off a list as they search for the notes. **

**And now they've found the right girl.**

**But they're not gonna just kill her. **

**No, they're gonna watch her struggle for a bit, make her suffer. Because to them, death is so quick and easy. And for them, there's no fun in that. **

**Just another frightening thought: now they have a key to her house.**

* * *

The next week was almost painful to watch. Riza sent a glare that could've melted ice when she found out what Maria's explanation had been. And then she almost died of frustration when the guys treated her like glass. Roy had been the worst. It was only until she'd cocked, aimed and fired her gun at Havoc's head, knocking the cigarette out of his mouth with a bullet, that they realized making her angry might be terrible for their health.

Personally, Maes found the whole affair hilarious. Things started to fall back into their usual schedule. And things were normal. For a while.

And so, a week later, Riza realized something was wrong.

The phone call had made her paranoid, if anything. She was hearing things, always seeing danger at every turn. Whenever one of the team left the building, she made sure to watch them and make sure they made it out of the building safely.

Thursday morning, things started to fall in place. And it all began when Riza remembered to thank Roy for his help that night.

"I forgot to thank you for getting me home alright last week. Thank you for that, sir." She said over his shoulder as she supervised him actually doing work. He turned and smiled, thinking of how cute she was when she was half-awake. Almost like a little kid.

"It was no problem. Are you feeling better now?" She nodded and his eyes twinkled. "Glad to hear it. Oh, that reminds me, did you get your key back alright? I left it on your bedside table."

_What key?_

* * *

Riza hurried home that evening. After lying straight to the Colonel's face about having the key back in her possession, she sat at her desk, staring at a the clock as the minutes passed by.

_What key? If he really did leave it there?_ Her eyes widened as she drew to her only conclusion.

_Someone's been in my bedroom._

She abruptly pushed her chair back, and gripped the edge of her desk.

In a flash, Roy was standing behind her, hands gripping her shoulders. The whole room was staring.

"Riza? Are you okay? For real this time, do you need me to get Maria or Rebecca?"

"That won't be necessary," she responded calmly. "I've just got a headache. I think I'll head home now, some fresh air would be great."

He nodded. "Do you need a ride? I'd be glad to-"

"No, it's fine. I could use the exercise," she waved goodbye.

"See you tomorrow."

And with that, she turned and fled the office.

Riza for the most part, sprinted home. She needed to get home. Fast.

She mentally planned what she'd do when she finally got home. She'd run to her bedroom, and lock the door. Then, she'd bring out the big guns. Literally. (She kept them in her closet, hanging in one of her her dresses.)

When her house came into view, she ran even faster, ignoring the mud splashing up onto her uniform. She practically rammed into front door, not bothering to lock it. If _they_ already had a key, what would it matter?

She ran up the stairs, mentally cursing herself for taking this long to realize the truth.

Dropping her bag and flinging her bedroom door open, she stopped cold in her tracks.

Because there was a woman sitting on her bed.

And she had a gun pointed at Riza's face.

* * *

Riza froze, her hand on the doorknob. She felt her other hand twitching, slowly making its way to one of the holsters.

"Tch, tch, tch," she shook her head. "Now, now. Let's be rational." She aimed the gun at the spot just between her eyes. "Drop the belt. Now." She did as she was told, and with a loud _thud_, her guns clattered to the ground. Riza began to raise her hands up, holding them behind her head.

"Now, now, darling," she woman's voice coaxed. Riza realized with disdain that this was the one she'd talked to on the phone just a week before. This woman was gorgeous, blonde hair, and sky blue eyes. Obviously a few years older than Riza. Curves as desirable, if not more so, than her own.

(Yes, under the heavy uniform, she did have a VERY feminine figure. She would admit to that much. Of course, that was only when she wasn't wearing the damned uniform, which was when she slept, and only one of the seven days of the week.)

"There's no need for that. So long as you're unarmed. You are, aren't you?" She looked up at Riza through her long lashes. Her ruby tinted lips pulled back into a smirk. "And even if you are, I hope you know, someone's gonna pay. And it won't be you. "

Riza was torn, what to do? Sighing, she pulled two small knives out of her sleeves, and another from her boot. And she sheepishly finished by pulling a handgun tucked into the back of her pants.

"There. I'm done. Now, what do you want?" The woman's smirk only grew. "Why, darling. I want that research. I thought I'd made it quite clear on the phone the other day."

"No, I meant what do you want with me?" Riza was calculating in her mind whether or not to fry this woman alive. A bullet to the face would stop her before she'd do any real damage to this woman.

"Oh, still playing clueless I see. Hate to break it to you, but that's not gonna get you anywhere with us."

Riza looked at her in confusion. "Us?"

"Yes. Us." And suddenly an overwhelmingly strong arm was wrapped around her throat, ready to clamp down on her throat if necessary. Riza struggled to gulp in air, and was only half succeeding.

"Peter, hold back a little," she commanded to the person who stood behind her. The grip on her lessened, only slightly. "We can't have our little toy breaking to pieces just yet. We'll get what we came for, use her help if need, and then you can do what you want."

She could feel his laugh resonate through her, vibrating through her body. Just before a small blade dragged down the side of her face and blood trickled down her chin.

"Perfect."

"You won't get away with this. Someone will catch you. And when they do, you're gonna be sorry. You won't be able to decipher the notes without me. And I swear to god I will sacrifice my life to keep this power from you," Riza spat out, gritting her teeth in pain as the blade sank further, now on the other side of her face.

The woman's gorgeous face contorted into a sneer.

That was the last thing she saw before her air supply was completely cut off and her vision went black.

* * *

Riza didn't show up the next day. It was enough to surprise about the entire building, but not quite enough to raise suspicion.

She wasn't in the next day either. But no one thought twice about that, Saturdays were her one day off. Sunday was the day rumors started to fly.

Falman thought she had the flu.

Fuery assumed she was having a personal problem.

Havoc and Breda whipped some crazy story, something having to do with long-lost brothers and reappearing mothers, or something like that.

Roy just looked like he was going to go insane.

He was going crazy without her presence, and it was clear that he wasn't going to last much longer.

Maria and Rebecca agreed with Falman. Riza was probably just sick or something. Being the good friends they were, they loaded Maria's car with everything from chick-flicks to cans of soup to bandaids. When Riza got sick, which wasn't very often, she got, _really_ sick.

About halfway to her house, Maria turned to Rebecca.

"Shit! I forgot, I gave Roy my key when he dropped off Riza the other day! Now what do we do? She's probably so damn helpless she won't be able to even open the door for us. Damn!"

Rebecca laughed. "Don't worry, I've got her other spare. We'll be just fine."

Pulling up to her house, Maria parked the car and went to unload the truck. Meanwhile, Rebecca walked up the porch stairs and went to unlock the door.

She went to insert the key into the lock when she realized it wasn't actually locked. It was open, just barely. She gave it a gentle push. The door creaked open with no resistance.

_Huh. That's odd._

She walked right in, calling out Riza's name.

It took about four seconds for a shrill scream to reach Maria.

"Rebecca!_ Rebecca what's wrong?"_ She rushed into the house, and found Rebecca standing in Riza's bedroom.

There was no Riza to be seen.

But there was...

Rebecca could only stammer and point.

Blood. Lots and lots of blood. On the floor, dried on her bed, trailing down the hallway, smeared along the walls in handprints.

If only they'd payed attention on the way in.

The most horrific part of the whole ordeal was the wall next to her bed.

Written in shaky red letters was a message that made Maria scream along with Rebecca, as they stared in horror.

_PLAYTIME'S OVER_

* * *

**Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed. I wrote this at night, and writing this even made me paranoid. Hope this has been an okay story so far. Comments are welcomed, and hope to hear from you at some point. (Sorry, there were plot holes again. Oops.)**

**Love you all,**

**-Pyro**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.**

**Hey guys! I am SO, SO sorry! My dad is kind of a jerk so my wifi turns off at 9:00. I promise I'll try to do better next time!**

**Thank you so, so much for reading and reviewing this story! It's nice to know you guys liked my story. A special thank you for:**

**WhispersOfWings **

**isidipi**

**Tacolady22**

**ClassyAnimeNerd**

**GameLord 4BritishBronies**

**I-heart-Sesshomaru13**

**Kuroda Michiko**

**WayOfTheShinobi**

**orileynosomosis**

**Thank you all again for reading my fic, and I promise to try and make it not totally suck.**

**Oh, and do they have cell phones? Because I'm pretty sure they don't but I almost wrote it in anyway. Then I realized that'd be stupid, so I didn't. But, I did write in license plates.**

* * *

_Ring!_**  
**

Havoc lazily reached for the phone, leaning all the way back in his chair.

"This is Havoc. What's the situation?"

_"Jean, Jean. It's Maria. I... I need you and the team to-" _Maria's already shaking voice was cut off by a scream.

"Maria?! Maria. what's going on?"

_"Me.. me and Rebecca are..."_

Another bloodcurdling scream cut through the air, loud enough for the Colonel to hear it from his desk. Havoc held up one finger, as if to say; _Wait. Gimme a sec._

"Hey, hey, hey. Calm down, alright? What's wrong with Rebecca?"

_"It's not Rebecca. It's Riza."_

Havoc spit out his cigarette, now drawing the whole room's attention.

"What's wrong? Maria, what happened? "

He winced as another scream filled the air. The others shared a look. Rebecca wasn't usually so easily panicked.

"_We're at her house. Bring the Colonel. Bring everyone, bring Hughes, bring anyone, just get here_ **now!**" Havoc stuttered out an affirmative, and practically jumped to the Colonel's desk.

"Call Hughes. We need to go."

* * *

Pulling up to Riza's house, the first thing he noticed was her empty driveway.

He parked the car, and the 6 men came stumbling out.

"Damn, why the hell is your car so small, boss?" Grumbled Breda, trailing off when Maria came out, staggering under Rebecca's weight. She herself looked drained, uneasy on her feet.

"Havoc, take her. Put her in the car. Now." Her voice had an edge to it, as she handed her over to him. He brought her to the car, and laid her down in the back seat.

Maria practically collapsed onto Hughes, and he held her shoulders as she sobbed into his jacket.

The others stood around uselessly as their co-worked crumbled to pieces. Hughes seemed somewhat know what to do, him being married might've helped with that.

She sniffled, and straightened. Seemingly out of nowhere, Rebecca was next to Roy. Her eyes were red and puffy, and Havoc's jacket was draped over her petite frame.

"I'm... I'm better now. C'mon. There's something you might wanna see. But Colonel, are you sure you wanna come in?" He gave her a look.

"Why? How sick is Riza?"

The two women shared a look. Maria took his hand in hers. He hesitantly followed as she led him up the porch. She stopped, her hand on the doorknob.

"Colonel, I am going to cover your eyes, and bring you to her room. You are going to keep them closed. Do you understand me?" Seeing he was about to protest, she softened her gaze. "Please."

Hughes put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Listen to her Roy. She probably knows what's best. " Roy sighed.

"Fine." She nodded, and turned to the others.

"And you guys. I don't want to hear so much as a sneeze from you. For the Colonel's sake."

They nodded, scared to where this was going.

She covered Roy's eyes, and led him up the stair. Following behind, the others didn't realize what was going on until they looked away from each other, and at the floor and walls.

Hughes nearly tripped. Havoc stuffed his fist in his mouth to stop from spewing profanities, and Fuery looked on the verge of a panic attack. Felling his team's concern, he spoke up as they reached the door to his room.

"What? Did she vomit? Passed out? Dammit what's going on?!" He wrenched himself out of Maria's grasp and turned to face her. Hughes gasped behind her.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!" Hughes looked like he was gonna pass out now.

"What is it?" He snapped. "Dammit, someone just tell me, what happened?!" Fuery let a few tears trickle down his cheeks. He pointed, in horror at Riza's bed.

He spun around, ready to see how bad Riza's condition really was.

A blood-smeared bed wasn't what he'd really pictured.

He spun to look at the bloody handprints leading to the door. And opening the back of the door, he noticed the markings all over the once-white wood. A hand, same size as Riza's. But what made him even more angry were the two distinctly male hands on the edge of the door.

"Someone...is gonna pay." he spit out, trembling in fury.

Maria stepped forward. "Sir... take a closer look at her bed." He swallowed and slowly turned his head to read the shaky, once-dripping message.

Even a block away, the sound of Roy Mustang's anguished cry could've been heard.

* * *

Hughes didn't think he'd ever actually seen his best friend cry before.

Sure, he'd heard the aftershock of some of his Ishvalan-related nightmares.

But having him collapse on the bed in heaving, loud sobs was the most emotion he guessed he'd ever seen him show.

Roy, was a huge, hot mess.

First it had been a string of curses, at least one meant for every deity he knew of. Then he'd just curled up and stopped moving. Hughes and Havoc then lifted him onto her bed, stripping the bloodied linens first.

Roy was gripping to them like it was his lifeline.

They'd called in the investigative team. Havoc and Hughes ended up having to drag him out, and sit him on the bench outside her house. He still had tears streaming down his cheeks, falling onto the sheet he was twisting around in his hands.

And out of the corner of his eye, he realized.

There was one thing, one thing wrong. A clue. Maybe he was just so desperate for things to fall into place. But it was so damn obvious.

Riza's car wasn't in her driveway.

* * *

When Roy came stumbling into the little circle his team had formed, Maes though he was only seeing things.

He was still a little dizzy, that much was obvious. But now, behind the sadness and the anger, there was determination.

Maes had seen that look before.

"Riza was taken." Havoc felt pity blooming in his chest. Poor guy was going nuts without his Lieutenant.

"And I know how to find her." He leaned in closer.

"Anyone else notice that Riza's car is missing?" They shared a look, and all heads simultaneously turned find her empty driveway.

"What..The..Hell?" Havoc asked, and Rebecca turned to face Roy. He could practically see the gears turning in her head.

"If they stole the car, then it was last resort. I bet they were hoping we'd be too... distracted to realize for a while. They were hoping by the time we found them and the car... it wouldn't even matter anymore."

The group went silent, knowing very well what that meant.

"They've probably changed the plates by now. Who knows how many black, standard-military cars there are out there? We're never gonna find her!"

Then she bolted upright.

"But you knew that already. So why would it matter?"

He smiled, the dried tears making his face feel stiff.

"Because I planted a tracer in her car six months ago."

* * *

**Hey guys! Thank you so much! I really am sorry, but my teachers are kind of awful. That, and my dad is a jerk. (Wifi is my life line. That is cruel and unusual punishment right there!)**

**See above if you have no idea what I'm talking about.**

**Please guys, read the damn AN's. Sometimes, they're important. **

**Luv ya lots, so R&amp;R (read and review for you newbies) and I'll try to mention you in the beginning of my next chapter. **

**Hope to hear from you. I'd LOVE to hear from you. Or, PM me. I am literally on my computer maybe 9 hours of the day.**

**Thank you SO much,**

**-Pyro**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.**

**Hey guys! What's up? Hope you liked my last chapter, I thought it wasn't too bad. I hope you all keep reading, and I promise to update whenever I can. I know this chapter doesn't make much sense. But hey, hang in there. If you've got any questions, I'll be sure to answer/explain in the AN in the beginning of the next chapter.**

**By the way, I never really thought this out before I started planning this story, but in my mind, RIza was alway like, fireproof. So, I'm not sure how that's gonna go yet. If it does happen that way, I apologize. **

**WARNING: THERE MAY BE SOME KILLING/VIOLENCE IN THE CHAPTERS THAT FOLLOW, SO IF YOU'RE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THAT, THEN YOU SHOULD STOP READING NOW. **

**Special**** Thanks to:**

**WhispersOfWings**

**TheFlyingLionFromNarnia**

**DarkWinxGirl**

**6Poppy**

**softball91**

**Once again, thanks for the love, and I hope to get some R&amp;R from you. (Oh, and I'm sorry I changed the cover image. It was bothering me.)**

****I promise to try and make my chapters longer from now on.****

* * *

_Wha...Where the hell am I?_

Riza's eyelids fluttered. She cracked an eye open, only to find herself in a dark, stone room. It was chilly, and Riza suddenly realized why.

She wasn't wearing a proper shirt from the waist up.

Riza sat up, groaning as she felt her stiff muscles groan in protest. She looked down.

She had on layers of gauze bandages, wrapped tight around her torso. She was wearing a loose shirt over that, and a robe over the shirt.

Of course, the back was bare from all three.

The bandages had been carefully wrapped around the ache she could feel deep in her stomach. Whoever had cared for her injuries had been sure to avoid covering anything up. Well, anything related to alchemy.

It wasn't until a second later that she noticed the chains holding her to the wall. And these weren't handcuffs. These were old-school shackles. Heavy iron, a hole just the right size for an old-school key. One on each wrist. A couple of feet of spare chain on each. And the open windows were a good 20 feet away.

_Guess I'm in a warehouse or something._

And each was connected to the the heavy iron plate nailed into the wall her bed was leaning against.

Riza was in a bed. In an empty, stone room. And was chained. To a wall.

_I am going to burn these sick bastards to the ground._ She stared down at her bound wrists. She scowled, a single tear dripping down her face.

She thought of Roy, and whatever lucky girl was getting his attention right now. Whatever woman had captured his attention right now. And how he probably wouldn't even notice she was gone for a week or so.

She spoke quietly, her voice steady.

"Even if I have to burn with them."

And then, she began to plot her escape.

* * *

Hughes didn't know how much longer Roy would last.

He was cracking already. It had only been a day since Roy had dropped the _I-might-be-able-to-possibly-find-Riza_ bomb.

The first thing everyone had demanded he do (as well as they themselves), was to get some sleep. They were all worried, to put it simply. But they all figured they'd be a lot more rational if they weren't fighting consciousness.

For 'protection,' they'd all decided to try and be with someone at every minute of the day. Even when it was time to sleep.

Roy had ended up staying with Maes while Gracia and Elicia went to stay with family in the countryside.

It had taken Maes four hours to realize Roy hadn't taken off the gloves.

Pacing, Roy walked in circles around the phone. Waiting for his contact to get the results in. Waiting for someone to zero in on his Riza.

_I am going to kill them. Rip them to shreds and burn them to pieces. No, that'd be too good on them. _

"Roy. Roy. Roy!" Out of nowhere Maes' hand was on his shoulder. Roy spun around, fingers poised to snap. His eyes widened with surprise, then shame, once he realized what he'd almost done.

"Maes! I'm.. I'm so sorry. Really, I just don't know what to do without her..."

Maes smiles, and clapped him on the shoulder.

"I know. can't imagine what I'd do if it was Gracia. When you love someone-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What the hell are you talking about? Riza is my friend. I care about all of my friends."

Maes was seriously wanted to slap the guy.

He was just so... stupid.

"I mean, I do care about Riza. A lot. She's like, my best friend. Besides you of course. I trust her. With my life. I mean, why else would she be my bodyguard? I really do care. She-"

"Jesus Christ, would you shut up? Goddamnit, you are such an idiot! Riza is in trouble. She could very well _die_."

Roy stiffened. He wasn't quite ready to hear that yet. And, it was likely that he never would be.

"Roy, I am your best friend. And Riza is your best girl. And no," he added, seeing the look on his face. "You don't get to argue with me. You love her. And I am not going to watch you play this stupid game anymore."

Maes sighed, punching him in the shoulder.

"She might never come back. This time, we can't rely on her to save us. Now, it's our turn."

"You need to stop this. If you keep running from how you feel about her, you might lose her. I know you've made up your mind about Riza. I'm not blind. So you just need to say it now. If you can't accept it, can't get your head in the game, we won't be the ones to pay the price. Riza will."

Roy sank into the couch, putting his head in his hands. He was growing more angry by the second.

"I love her. Fine," he spit out, looking up.

"But that won't bring her home Maes. That won't save her life. Even if she does make it home, what good does that do? I love her. And that doesn't change the fact that she could die because I couldn't catch a damn killer!"

Maes was speechless.

"I love her so damn much Maes. It hurts. I have to live with that every day. She was so close, and every day, I had to live with that. Knowing that I had an angel so close. And every time I'd get too close, I'd make myself back out. Because I can't burden her like that, I won't take my chances."

"Roy, you are being so stupid. Just by talking to her, by being near her, won't do any damage."

Roy snapped.

"I'M A MONSTER, MAES!" Roy roared, slamming his fist down on the table. "I MADE HER SUFFER EVER DAMN DAY BY JUST KEEPING HER AT MY SIDE! SHE HAS SO MUCH POTENTIAL, AND I'M THE ONLY THING HOLDING HER BACK!"

"I'm a killer. Remember what I did in Ishval? Monsters deserve hell. But instead, I got an angel." He rubbed his forehead.

"You're not a monster, Roy. You're a man." Hughes moved closer to his friend.

"Just a man who fell in love with a woman." He rubbed his back, silently wondering how much better the situation would've been handled if Gracia had stayed.

_Ring!_

Roy was already holding the phone to his ear by the time Hughes had stood up.

"What's the situation?" He demanded, not bothering to be polite at a time like this.

_"We've located the car."_

* * *

Riza couldn't risk any fires yet.

If her captors weren't in the building, there wasn't any point.

If she had to die in the fire, so be it. But she was going to take revenge for her friends. And besides,

Roy could finally get a bodyguard that could do their job right.

Someone who could actually get him to do his paperwork without threatening with a loaded gun.

Someone who could get him to remember not to pick a fight when it rains.

Someone who could get through a month without having him risk his life at least once.

A person who would lay their life down before his.

Riza was full of regret.

Not just because she hadn't shown him the tattoo all those years ago. Not because he had struggled through the secrets of fire alchemy alone. It was because she'd never even said she was sorry. Sorry for all those moments she'd been in the way of his dreams.

He was trying to become a Fuhrer. She'd promised him that she'd get him to the top.

And she wasn't ever going to see him to his rightful place.

But, those were the only things she regretted about her time with him.

"Why, darling, I see you've woken up. How do you like your new room?" The familiar voice broke the silence. Riza whipped her head to the door, where the blonde woman was leaning against the doorless-doorway. (Yeah, the chances of it being a warehouse were only growing.)

"I'm so sorry. I totally forgot to mention, my name is Lacey," she said in a sickly sweet voice.

She was wearing just a plain t-shirt and jeans, though the collar was splattered with blood. And still, she looked pretty.

"You are a despicable human being. What kind of sick person does this?" Riza demanded, walking as far as she could without yanking her wrists out of their sockets. The woman blatantly ignored her accusing glare. The one that could freeze Havoc in about half a second.

"So, you remember how you got here? Anything at all?" She inquired, swiping her finger along the window.

"Pity. Too cheap to even provide windows."

"You will burn to hell for this. I will make sure of that," Riza lashed out, suddenly forgetting she was practically connected to the wall. She cried out in pain.

"Tch, tch, tch." Riza rolled her eyes. That seemed to be her catchphrase.

"Darling, don't go and make making empty threats like that. It's quite unbecoming. You'll only be wasting your breath in the end. Unless he's got a faulty reputation, I'm pretty sure he can't set fires from more than 15 miles away. Besides, your precious Colonel can't save you if he can't find you, now can he? "

"Peter will take care of him before he gets close enough to do any damage to our plans."

Lacey looked Riza straight in the eye and smirked.

"And you're no threat at all without your silly little guns. God know how someone as incompetent as you ended up protecting someone as important as Colonel Mustang." Her eyes twinkled with something Riza couldn't quite place.

_The second both her and her __accomplice are in this building I will burn it in a way that would put the Colonel to shame._

She took a moment to reconsider.

_Or, I could get rid of them one at a time. _

* * *

Roy stepped out of the car, and was followed in suit by Fuery, Falman, Maria, Havoc and Hughes. Breda had stayed behind to look after Rebecca, who'd gotten sick in all the commotion.

Roy was still wearing the gloves.

"This is where the signal was traced to." He pointed to a block of several manufacturing warehouses.

"Her car has to be around her somewhere. We find it, we find the killer." For a few seconds, all that could be heard were the echoing footsteps as the rag-tag group of 6 made their way through the winding passages between the buildings.

"Umm, sir?" Maria piped up. "Remind me, why did we not bring reinforcements? Colonel, I know you have a bit of a death wish sometimes, but really-"

"Death wish?" he stopped and turned to look at her. "I do not have a death wish." Maria almost wanted to laugh at the defensive, almost-pouty look on his face.

_Riz, you sure can pick 'em. Hold onto him, alright?_

"It's because they've got Riza." The small party flinched.

"And in hostage situations, it has been proved that going in with guns blazing is not a smart idea."

"Yeah, 'cause you're the king of those," Havoc muttered under his breath.

Maes snickered.

"Anyway," he continued, silencing Maes with a glare. "I think the smaller the force, the easier it will be to slip in unnoticed. Sooner we take down that bastard, the sooner Riza's safe again."

Fuery cleared his throat.

"Well, well, Colonel. Seems you're being uncharacteristically calm. And overprotective. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you-"

"Love her." The whole group came to a halt.

_Did he just?_

_Holy __crap he just said..._

_Am I hearing things?_

"There I said it. I love Riza. Are we done now?"

One second of silence.

"Whoooo! Told you it'd be in the next two months! HA! You owe me 40!" Hughes crowed happily, and Havoc grumbled as he handed over the money.

Roy froze, and his eyes bugged. He spun around, confronting the gleeful man.

"You made a bet? On me and Riza? What the hell?!"

"Hey, you did the same with me and Gracia! This is only karma!"

Roy sighed. This was going to be a long night...

"So Roy, you finally came to terms with it huh?" Maria inquired, sidling up next to him.

He softly smiled, a faint blush starting to spread through his face.

"Yeah." His face darkened. "If she- no, _when_ she gets out of this, the lucky man who'll get to call her his will have to pass through me first."

_What other guy would get to call Riza his?_

Maria slapped him in the head. This stunned him long enough for Havoc to punch him in the shoulder.

"You really are an idiot, know that?"

_Who the else would Riza love? Other than you, I've never seen her so much as smile at someone she didn't consider family!_

"What the hell!? I didn't do anything! Seriously, why is does everyone keep-"

"Colonel, look!" Falman called out, having taken the lead while the team bickered.

"Isn't that Riza's car?" He said, pointing at the vehicle parked in front of one of the warehouses.

"Yeah, it is," Fuery said, walking forward to look at the building. "If you ask me, I'd say that this place has been empty for quite some time."

"Yeah, it looks like one of the old storage factories. Probably the company ran out of business or something," Falman chimed in.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm going in. Anyone with me?" Roy asked, straightening the cuffs of his jacket.

"You know sir, I'm pretty sure you don't even need to ask questions like that anymore," Maria said, cocking her gun. "But remember, we have to be quiet. If we cause too much commotion, Riza's life might be used as a last resort threat. Am I understood?"

"Yes sir," they chimed.

They crept into the building, shuffling against the walls in the darkness. Only the moon shone through the windows.

"Sir, I don't think she's on the first floor. She's gotta be on the second floor, then. We should go there now. And hurry," suggested Falman.

Roy nodded, and they headed up the stairs.

They'd all safely ventured up the stairs, and were back on their toes for about four seconds.

"Well, well. Looks like lover boy is finally here," came a voice from behind them.

Roy turned.

It was a tall man, probably a good foot taller than Roy. And by the looks of it, he was probably physically stronger too. But that wasn't the part of the whole scene that alarmed him.

It was the part where he had an arm around 2nd Lieutenant Maria Ross' throat.

Oh, and the gun pressed to the side of her head.

* * *

Whoever was keeping her hostage had given her typical prison food. Stale bread and lukewarm water. How original.

It wasn't until later when the sun had gone down that Lacey decided to step in again.

"Here," the woman said as she kicked something over to Riza. Something small, bundled in cloth.

Riza hesitantly bent down to pick it up, almost spilling her water in the process.

Unwrapping it, she realized it was a small knife, stained with faint traces of blood. Riza examined the sharp edge, still not understanding what the whole point of this was.

"Recognize it? Pretty nice, right? Specially made. Beautiful craftsmanship. Though, it did look much nicer when it was buried in your stomach."

_Where should I burn her first?_ _Her hands? No what about her-_

"And for sentimental reasons, we'll be sure to use the same one on your precious Roy."

_THAT"S IT._

Riza's head snapped up and her eyes narrowed, and the alchemy circles flashed.

Lacey was burning.

Screaming in pain as the fire crawled up her face.

It was consuming her hair, her clothes, her face.

"Wait! Wait!" Lacey pleaded. "Don't you want to know how we knew you had the research?" Riza lessened the flames.

"I'm not falling for that. I don't care how you knew. As long as you pay for the lives you took." Riza growled. The flames flared again, and she screamed in agony.

"Peter's gonna make you pay," she gritted out as her body started to burn up.

And then Lacey suffered the same fate Riza's poor cup of coffee had not even a month ago.

Burned to ashes.

"Now," Riza started, taking out the knife. "Think I can pick a lock with this?" She struggled, trying to get her wrists in the right position. Realizing this obviously wasn't working, she stopped twisting the cuffs around her wrists.

"Aw to hell with it."

Riza concentrated, focusing her energy on heating the chains. She made sure to give herself 6 or 7 feet of extra length to avoid scalding her skin. She brought the knife down, breaking the links.

"I don't care if I have to shoot you in the head, whip you senseless with the chains you burdened me with, or melt you until you scream for mercy. Peter, I am going to kill you."

* * *

**Hey guys! I know this doesn't make much sense, but thank you all so much. Our story has progressed pretty far, and I hope you've enjoyed it! After this, I hope you take the time to look at the new stories I plan to write. (Yeah, it'll take a while; hang in there.)**

**Love you all, sorry my logic in this story kinda sucks. **

**Bye!**

**-Pyro**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.**

**Hey Guys! Thanks for reading. **

**And a special thanks to those who read/reviewed/followed/favorited my story since I posted the last chapter:**

**WhispersOfWings (**Thank you SO much for reviewing!)****

**A Furry Cat**

**DarkShadyDays**

**DarkWinxGirl (You too! Your comment was AMAZING!)**

**I honestly don't know yet, whether or not if this will be the chapter ****where I start wrap this up. But I promise after I do finish this; I'll post an ****epilogue. So if you like this story, be sure to hang around until then.**

**Remember: Like fire benders on Avatar: Last Airbender (which I also do not own), Riza's clothes don't burn when she's on fire. And unlike ****fire benders, Riza's skin doesn't burn. She can ****also do the snap-and-then-fire-comes-rushing-out thing that Roy does. Only, she doesn't need the gloves. (Y'know, there isn't much friction needed 'cause of the eye-thing.)**

**Oh! Almost forgot. I was thinking of writing a sequel to this, with a new plot line and all that. In the epilogue, I've got an idea to lead into another story. After finishing that- or you could speak up now- leave a review about what you think of that. (Or just leave a review just because I will seriously love you forever if you do.)**

* * *

Riza was sweating, the heat from her flames had heated up the whole room. She struggled out of the clothes, only leaving on the shorts and thin shirt. She was sweating through her bandages, and after a contemplating for a moment, she decided to keep on them on.

_Better safe than sorry, right?_

She took a a little longer than she would've liked taking off the layers, but in the stupid chains were getting all tangled up.

After a few more moments of struggling, she was ready to go. But, first things first. Walking cautiously over to Lacey's crumpled, unrecognizable form, Riza bent down to examine the body.

There was nothing left of her that was remotely human-looking. There was nothing salvageable from her body. Nothing useful. All there was left was burnt skin. That is, until Riza took a closer look.

Lacey had been wearing several pieces of jewelry, having been the epitome of femininity. But that wasn't the part of the whole scene that drew her attention.

It was the key that dangled from her neck.

It was a small thing, made of some kind of stone, that had somehow survived the intense heat of the fire. The string had burned away, and showed to have been some sort of cloth material wrapped around a metal wire. Riza wasn't quite sure why, but it seemed like it'd be... important somehow.

Riza, using the knife Lacey had stupidly taunted her with, cut the small trinket from her neck. She tied it around her ankle, securing it in a way that would prevent it from moving about when she walked.

Satisfied, she stood, inwardly sneering at the idiot who thought she could get away with endangering the life of the man who had obsidian eyes and a fiery disposition for rain.

She started to sink deeper into her thoughts as she crept through the halls.

She wanted to stand behind him always. Watch his back, protect him.

Even if it meant watching the back of his queen too.

She swore that no matter how much she hated whoever he chose, she'd give her life to save his queen too.

She stopped at another open doorway, (and 'open doorway' is just another term for a doorway the size meant for a double door, without an actual door.)

The cement wall here had been cleaned and fixed a few times. That much was obvious. Someone had even taken the time to redo the floors. She stepped inside, taking in the endless tally marks that decorated the walls.

Thousands of chalk lines scratched on the walls. And on the opposite side, there was a strange circle.

And alchemy circle, unlike anything she'd ever seen before.

Riza tried to sear the image into her brain, knowing it could be important.

A vanity table was pushed into the farthest corner. The white paint was scratched off in places, and peeling in others.

Turning to the vanity, Riza examined her reflection.

Her eyes were wide and alert. They flashed dangerously, the circles visible for just barely a second. Dried blood trailed down the side of her face, and two half-healed cuts were a startling contrast agains her pale skin.

Taped to the table, and the wooden border surrounding the mirror, were pictures. Maybe more than a hundred.

The first picture to catch her eye was of little blonde girl, and a small boy who could only be her brother. They sat next to a pretty woman. Most likely their mother, judging by the similar hair and the bright green eyes.

_That little girl... Can that be... Lacey?_

It was. Lacey and her mother, and her younger brother.

The next photo was of a funeral.

Lacey and her brother again, only her mother was missing from the scene.

_They must've lost their mother._ Riza could relate to their predicament. Losing your mother. Though, the murdering of people soon drowned out all feelings of pity.

Clearing off the rest of the desk, Riza shoved the clutter over the edge.

The photos that had been covered up were newer, by the look of it.

The more recent photos weren't starring the motherless siblings though. They were all of-

Shit.

Riza's own face was smiling back up at her.

Dozens of Riza's were overlapping each other. Some were clearly over ten years old.

One was even of her and Roy as teenagers.

God, she had even been awkward as a kid when it came to him. Her face was fire engine red, probably because Roy's arm was casually draped over her shoulder. He had a breathtaking smile, no less dazzling than ever.

It was only when water started dripping onto the photo in her hands she realized she was crying.

_Roy... god, I miss him so much._

_Every time I see him... He's just so perfect it hurts._

She chuckled to herself and wiped at a tear with her delicate finger.

_Even when it rains, he's so cute! Almost helpless._

In a moment she was serious again, contemplating what this might mean.

Lacey was officially stalking her. Or, at least she had been.

And yet again, Roy was getting dragged into her mess. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Her emotions getting tangled into this mess was not going to help make things better.

She turned back to the collage of her life.

If that other image wasn't alarming, then the next picture definitely was.

It was Riza as a little girl. Maybe four or five, sitting on one of her father's legs.

_Where did she even get these? How long has this been going on? I don't even have a copy of this picture!_

Riza took the photo of her and Roy and slipped it under the waistband of her pants.

_Now... if I'm gonna track down this 'Peter' guy... might as well prepare for battle._ She smirked as she snatched a shirt off the floor. It smelled relatively clean, so she pulled it over her head. The more layers, the better protected she'd be.

_Not like I'll need it._

She shoved her arms into the form fitting t-shirt. The black garment was soft and well worn. The entire back was covered, and for that, Riza was grateful. She didn't need to go around parading the fact that she was dangerous.

Riza hesitated before leaving the room. Wondering whether or not to try and find a better weapon.

No, she was ready.

Armed with a small knife. The chains that adorned her wrists gave the whole getup menacing, almost dangerous. Her hands ready to copy the very snap she'd seen performed countless times. They would bring waves of fire, which would carry out her every command.

Oh, and eyes that could pretty much incinerate people at will.

* * *

Roy had his fingers poised to snap.

The others had their guns pointed at the man's face. His blonde hair was streaked with blood, and Breda had a feeling that it wasn't his. He sneered.

"If you don't drop your weapons and slide 'em over, this pretty head will be full of holes before you can blink." Maria was trying to keep her calm, and failing miserably. It was clear by the panic in her eyes that she was more than scared.

She was terrified.

Reluctantly, Havoc lowered his gun. As it clattered to the floor, the others began to follow his example. They'd already lost one of the team, they couldn't lose another.

"Colonel Mustang, that means you too," the man added as the weapons were kicked over. "Pass the gloves. Both of them."

Roy stared down at his hands. He removed them slowly, first the left hand, then the right. Gulping, he swallowed his pride and tossed them over.

The man relaxed his arm, ad shoved Maria forward. She landed on her knees, right in front of Roy.

"Good," the man said, grinning, causing the Colonel's temper to flare. "Wouldn't want a lovely little thing like her getting broken." Havoc lost his temper, as he leapt out to tackle the man. Fuery and Falman held him back by his arms, though it was clear that they wanted to do the same thing.

"Broken toys are quite useless, aren't they? Just like that poor girl. What was her name again? Rita... No, maybe... Risha?"

Roy lost it.

Lunging forward, he was about a foot in the air, fist ready to sink it into this bastard's face.

His other hand, however, was yanked back abruptly, pulling him back down to earth. He collided with the ground, rather painfully. He could practically feel a bruise forming on his left shoulder.

Rubbing the spot on his arm where he had painfully crashed and sitting up, Roy looked up to scowl at Hughes.

"What the hell?! You're just gonna let this asshole get away with this? You're just gonna stand there and do nothing?! Don't you even care?" Maes roughly shoved him back to the ground.

"I care," he hissed, an intense glare momentarily silencing Roy. "But I'm also remembering the fact that he has a _gun! _One that he will not hesitate to shoot you with!"

Roy winced. He hadn't though of that. Maybe his desperation to find Riza was making him more... careless than usual.

"Roy, I know you want to see her as soon. I get it. But Roy, getting blasted in the head isn't going to help us. And it certainly isn't going to be easy to explain to Riza why we let you get your sorry-ass shot. I owe it to Riza. She is my friend, and it is a personal duty of mine to keep you from dying, and save her the heartbreak."

He added after a moment of Roy expectantly looking at him, "Oh, and you're my best friend. That too."

"Heartbreak? What the hell are you going on about? Concerned, sure but..."

Fuery buried his face in his hands all the way across the room. Falman looked beyond the point of exasperation. Hughes removed his glasses, and rubbed his eyes with the other hand.

"You fucking idiot."

Falman's voice echoes through the room. "Holy crap, what the hell is wrong with y-"

_BANG BANG BANG_

Three shots fired into the air left the whole room at a standstill.

The man held the gun aimed at the high ceiling.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said, his words dripping with sarcasm.

"Those were warning shots. Your _only_ warnings. Next one will be a hit. And my first target will be..."

He spun around, as a child did when they couldn't make up their mind.

And he came to a stop on Fuery.

"The little nerdy guy with the funny glasses."

Fuery's mouth opened in protest.

"Hey! I am not nerdy or little!" Fuery protested. Breda coughed.

"Well..."

"Hey! Don't you even start! If anyone here is a 'nerd' it's you!" He pointed to Falman. Pause. "And what's wrong with my glasses?!"

As the two began to bicker, the gun-wielding male rolled his eyes.

"HEY!" He shouted, drawing all their attention back to him. He cleared his throat, gun still aimed at Fuery.

"I must apologize. We never had a proper introduction." He waved with his free hand, a slightly-maniacal smile stretched across his otherwise-handsome face.

"My name is Peter. I stabbed your friend. Nice to meet you."

* * *

**Hey guys! if you didn't read my AN in the beginning, go do it now. (Please?)**

**I seriously would love to hear from all of you. PLEASE R&amp;R (or pm me) because I need to know what you guys think. **

**Love you all,**

**-Pyro**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.**

**Hey guys! Not sure if you read my AN in the last chapter, but if you haven't go do it now. I've been thinking of writing a sequel, and need to know if any of you actually would want to read that.**

**Just to clarify, Riza can do the snap-thing that Roy does without the gloves, because she's already got the whole flame-array tattooed on her back. The tattoo amplifies the power, and the only friction needed is her snapping. She's like Roy, only a lot more useful on rainy days. **

**Her own flames don't burn her. (She's not invincible, just a reminder if some of you are starting to think that. She was _stabbed_ earlier in the series.)**

**This chapter sucks, just to let you know. Seriously, this chapter is pretty much my transition chapter.**

** And, ****because it is tradition, thank you to all those who favorited/followed/reviewed (especially if you reviewed):**

**Iryann**

**purpleswans **

**WhispersOfWings (Thank you SO much for all your awesome reviews!)**

**Please remember to tell me what you think: the opinions are welcomed (whether they're good or bad)**

* * *

It was almost comical, the way the little vein in Roy's forehead was bulging.

Almost.

Roy's fingers were twitching, aching for revenge. Oh, how much pain and misery he'd cause this 'Peter' if he only had his gloves.

Havoc didn't have quite as funny a reaction.

"You... you what?" He asked, sinking to his knees. "Riza... Our friend... Is she..." Peter smirked, not even needing Havoc to finish the question.

"Oh, she's fine. Lacey, my baby sister, patched her right up."

Havoc spoke through gritted teeth. "And you and your _sister,_" he said the word with obvious distaste. "Why would you do that? Why go through all the trouble of," he gulped. "stabbing her and then stitch her back together?"

"We only needed to injure her enough to make her defenseless. Couldn't have her dying on us, she'd be of no use to us then."

Roy stepped forward, and Maes made no move to stop him this time. He was only a few feet from the barrel of Peter's gun.

"And what exactly do you need Riza for? Why her?"

He glowered at Peter, loathing rising up in his throat at the smug expression he wore proudly.

"We need her skin."

* * *

Riza confidently strode down the hallways. Her chains rattled, and she practiced the motion as she walked the stone floors.

_SNAP_

A stream of fire shot from her fingertips. The dark walkway was illuminated by the fire's lift, only for a second. She giggled.

Actually giggled.

She'd never had the time to experiment with this power. She was cautious about this ability, even feared this part of herself. She hand't even realized what gift she'a been given until after Ishval.

By then, she had realized that fire was a danger in the hands of those who didn't know how to use it. She considered telling Roy... for a moment.

She already thought she was a monster. Riza didn't need his hatred and disgust on top of that.

The giggling ceased for a moment, and all that could be heard was the dragging noises her chains made, and the padding of her bare feet on the rough floor.

_I have alchemy. _She thought in awe. _Fire, just like Roy._ The reality of the situation crashed upon her in that moment. She hand't used this gift, not on purpose, in over half a decade!

_And the last time I used it, it was to light a cooking fire! I ended up setting the whole kitchen on fire!_

Then it dawned on her, for the first time in her military career.

_Am I strong enough to do this?_

Riza had never felt this way before. Not when it came to battle.

She'd always been sure of her abilities, but this was new territory now.

This wasn't about guns. It was about fire.

Her senses were on fire, she could feel the adrenaline pumping in her veins.

_No time for that now._ Riza made a half-hearted attempt at pushing her feelings aside. _Peter first, worry later._

_But, I don't think Lacey knew about the fire. She seemed... surprised. And if she didn't know, Peter might not either._ She perked up at this thought.

And seemingly out of nowhere, she heard:

"We need her skin."

The voice was gruff, and most definitely male.

The next sound practically startled her out of the shackles she wore.

It was Maes.

"What on earth could you possibly want with her skin?!" His usually humor-filled voice was tainted with disgust.

_That's a good question. What do they want from me, if not the fire?_

"I want my mom." Riza blinked, inching closer to the doorway. Her back was pressed to the wall, pulling awkwardly at her shirt.

"What do mean, 'you want your mom?'" Riza's mouth dropped. Havoc.

"Yeah, that's a good question," the rest of the team chimed in.

_Maria, Breda, Fuery? What are they doing here?_

But the next voice broke her heart.

"It doesn't matter! Just leave her the hell alone!"

_Roy._

Tears trickeld down her cheeks. It had only been a few days, not even a week, and she had missed him so much. Even through the anger, his voice was still as charming as usual.

"Simmer down, lover boy. "

Now Riza's heart was really broken.

_Lover... Boy?_

Sinking down to the floor, she buried her face in her knees.

_So, I guess he found a queen._

"You're just an over-gorified Prince Charming who can't save his princess. A pathetic so-called 'hero' who's useless when it comes down to it," Peter sneered. Roy fell silent. So Peter had found a weakness. Egging on the Colonel usually had disastrous results.

"And then there's Riza. A stupid little girl who can't do anything, not without her guns. Totally helpless without her precious 'Colonel' to come and rescue her."

_Great. Now even I think I sound pathetic. _

Peter took a few steps, his heavy footsteps clunking as he moved farther away. Riza decided on taking a risk. She peeked over the side of the door, just for a moment, and whipped her head back.

Listening for a moment, she sighed in relief. No one had seen her.

Everyone seemed to be a good fifteen feet from the door, all circled around Peter. He held a gun, and it was somewhat aimed at Fuery.

Peter had stepped in close to Roy. He had a sinister expression, almost excited for what would come next.

He spoke to the Colonel, just loud enough for her to hear. "A pretty girl like that... I'll make sure to... _enjoy _her company next time I get to see her."

_SMACK_

* * *

_SMACK_

Roy's hand whipped out, striking the man's face.

"Don't," he snarled "Even _think_ about touching her."

Peter smiled in response, and Maes yanked him back roughly.

"Roy, I hate it as much as you do, but-

_BANG_

"AHH!"

Roy visibly paled, and turned just enough to see Maria, who had stepped in front of Fuery to take the impending bullet, hiss in pain.

She hadn't been wearing her coat, and her upper arm was bleeding.

Peter lowered the gun, though it was obvious by his stance that he'd use it in a heartbeat. Roy rushed over, followed closely by Maes.

"Maria? Maria I'm sorry, I didn't- I mean, I thought-"

She winced, cradling her arm to her torso.

"It only grazed me. I'm fine," she assured him, smiling.

"But that asshole won't be soon," she added under her breath.

He bared his teeth, once again reminded of why they were here in the first place.

"Oh, and this is for earlier."

Roy didn't even turn before he was punched in the head. Maria gasped, and Maes pulled her into him, shielding her eyes

He kicked the Colonel in the stomach, his mouth twisting into a sinister grin. Roy made a small choking sound as another blow was delivered to his back.

"Touch him again, and you're gonna get burned," came a cool voice from behind them. Peter smirked.

Glancing over his shoulder, Peter smiled. Roy tensed up, knowing very well who it was without even looking up.

"Well hello there, Riza. Seems like you've come to join the party. "

His cocky expression faltered when he realized she was standing alone.

"Where's Lacey?" he stepped away from the Colonel, all focus was now on Riza. Each person seemed to be frozen in their spot, taking in her haggard appearance.

Roy sat up, coughing and wheezing. Snapping out of his stupor, Maes helped him up, patting his back as he struggled to take in oxygen.

When the room stopped spinning and he could breathe again, he looked up.

The air was knocked right out of his lungs.

Riza looked like... hell. She had two long cuts on either side of her face, each half healed over. She was dragging chains behind her, which were hanging from her wrists. She was standing at an odd angled, favoring her left side.

The clothes she wore were threadbare, a black t-shirt (much like the one she wore under her jacket) and dark cargo shorts.

But the most frightening part was the look on her face.

She was furious. Furious, scared and determined. Who knew one look could hold so much?

Wait.

Scared?

"I killed her," she deadpanned. He leapt forward, and his hands shook as he aimed the gun at her.

"No... NO! You're LYING TO ME!" He screamed. "YOU CAN'T HAVE KILLED HER! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!"

She continued, as her eyes flickered to meet Maria's. And then looked at Roy.

"You shall burn for what you have inflicted upon my friends."

"YOU KILLED HER! MY BABY SISTER!"

"And you killed my friends." The others looked at each other in confusion. "The women you murdered. You tracked them down, looking for me. And you slaughtered them. Innocent girls. My friends." A singled tear fell from the corner of her eye.

"And I won't let you hurt any more people I care about."

"So you shall burn in hell."

He cackled, his grip on sanity clearly slipping. Waving the gun, he gestured to the corner, where their weapons had been kicked.

And atop the pile sat a pair of crumpled white gloves.

"Your Colonel can't save you if he can't burn me." Riza's eyes flickered to Roy's face. She winked, and he just kinda looked at her, uncomprehendingly.

She sighed, and nodded at Maria.

Maria crept toward the corner, as Peter began to maniacally laugh in Riza's face.

"I WILL GET HER BACK!" he rambled. He leaned in close, whispering in her ear. "With you, I shall rule the world."

Riza watched out of the corner of her eye as Maria triumphantly held up her prize, and soundlessly tossed it to Havoc. She couldn't aim with her wounded arm.

Peter turned around, hearing the cocking of a gun.

"What happened to being burned alive?" He questioned. Peter's hand discreetly moved behind his back, aiming at Maes.

"Still part of the plan," she assured him.

One second of silence.

"Maneuver 4!" she shouted, and the team sprung into action. Peter, confused and startled, fired shots off in every which direction.

Roy scurried over to Maria, and grabbed his gloves.

Meanwhile, Havoc and Maes had dove behind empty crates to avoid getting shot.

Then Peter was engulfed in flames. Bursts of fire were hitting him squarely in the chest, causing him to cry out in agony.

The fire was steadily growing. Engulfing his torso, his legs.

Maes laughed in relief. He stayed low, avoiding the sparks flying in the air.

"Hey Roy, nice shot!"He shouted over the cries of the burning man. Turning to Havoc, he clapped his shoulder, attempting to spread joy from the new turn of events.

Havoc was wide-eyed and slack-jawed. Maes shook him.

"Havoc? Jean? Hello? What's wrong?" Wordlessly, Havoc leaned back, showing the person crouched behind the crates next to him.

It was Roy.

Roy had a strange look on his face, almost like he'd been hit in the head with a frying pan. He held up his right hand, which held the gloves he had yet to put on.

"That wasn't me."

* * *

Riza was dancing. Sliding seamlessly from foot to foot, thrusting out her fist and a ball of fire with it.

She was radiant.

Her fingertips twisted the fire around her, and she let it flicker in her hands.

She extinguished the flames, only to raise them higher a moment later. She was toying with him. Making him sweat.

She would make him pay.

Riza wasn't typically this ruthless, but killing her playmates and dragging her friends into this mess, that was crossing the line.

And somehow Roy had ended up tangled up in all this.

She snapped again, sending a stream of fire, torching Peter's clothes.

_Oh, yeah. This is payback._

* * *

Roy stood, not caring about the immense heat radiating off Peter.

"What the hell is going on?" Havoc grunted as he lifted himself to his feet.

All he could feel was the heat on his skin, and all he could see was the fire as it consumed Peter.

The flames died down, and he collapsed. He was breathing heavily, and his skin was badly burned.

And blazing behind him, in all her glory, stood Riza.

Blazing meaning she was on fire. Her amber eyes seemed to be glowing, and her golden hair settled just under her shoulders.

Fire was being expelled from every one of her limbs, and the orange made her skin glow.

She snapped, and to their utter surprise, her bare hands did the very same thing as Roy's gloves.

They created a burning whip, and it lashed out and struck Peter's back.

Roy's eyes almost popped out of her head.

Peter was on his knees, laughing crazily.

"You know what the best part is?" he giggled, hiccuping as he did. "I enjoyed every minute of it. Those women screamed, you know. Begged and pleaded. They were so helpless, unable to-"

_BANG_

Peter's mouth formed an 'o' as he fell to the floor, unmoving.

Riza's eyes widened in surprise, as she turned to see Fuery lowering a gun.

Shock was written all over her face, just before the flames died and she crumpled to the floor.

"RIZA!"

* * *

**Hey... Hope you guys liked this, I had a pretty hard time writing it. (That's why it totally sucked, by the way.)**

**Hope you liked this chapter, and I promise to update soon!**

**Please Review and tell me what you think of my idea,**

**-Pyro**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.**

**Hey guys! So my computer had a little...'accident' and so when I checked the favorites/follows for this chapter I was like: HOLY CRAP OHMYGOD!**

**THANK YOU SO MUCH! SQUEE! **

**I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MANY PEOPLE SUBSCRIBED TO/FAVORITED/FOLLOWED THIS STORY!**

**That being said, this chapter goes out to:**

**owlcitylover**

**DarkWinxGirl (THANK YOU!) **

**Captian-Winter**

**animefangirl07**

**Hiccstrid4eva**

**maiaraiadette**

**Tacolady22 (Thanks for the suggestions, I'll make sure to look out for that from now on.)**

**WhispersOfWings (swear to god, you and DarkWinxGirl are like, AMAZING)**

**greekkittyartemis**

**Hope you guys liked this story so far, because it's about to get worse. I promise, I'll try and make it not suck. But I've been going over my sequel idea, and I realize about now that it's pretty shitty. I promise I'll at least _start_ the sequel, but if no one really likes it, I'll probably just discontinue it. **

**Read on, and I sincerely apologize in advance. **

* * *

_Riza was drifting._

_She was drifting away into nothing, as scenes flashed before her eyes. _

_Her and Roy meeting for the first time._

_Calling Roy useless as he pouted in the rain. _

_Her threatening him with a gun as he scribbled out intelligible words on forms at his desk._

_And then there was one that hadn't happened. Not yet. _

_Roy and his queen. _

_Their hands entwined, and their back towards her, Riza felt jealously bloom in her heart. _

_Riza wasn't in control of her __body. No, she was just dreaming, imagining what might've happened. _

_What still might._

_So when Riza unwillingly looked down, she saw the gun in her hands. Dream-Riza loaded her gun, drawing the Colonel's attention to her. The woman in his arms didn't so much as acknowledge Riza presence. Didn't even look up. _

_Smiling down at the woman in his arms, Roy waved his hand as a vaguely dismissive gesture. _

_"You can take a day off, Hawkeye. I can handle this; I don't need you."_

_It wasn't the way in which he said it. He hadn't said it coldly, or cruelly. _

_It was simply the fact that he didn't need, or want her. _

_He was letting her go. _

_He wasn't freeing her, so much as shoving her out of a 'cage' she had learned to call her entire world. _

_And for once in her entire life, Riza was completely faithless. _

_'He doesn't need me anymore.'_

_Drifting away once more, Riza had a hole in her heart, and an ache in her chest._

_'There's nothing left for me.'_

* * *

Roy instinctively leapt out, catching Riza before she crashed. She upper body was cradled protectively in his arms, he lowered her carefully to the ground. He frantically felt her wrist, checking for a pulse.

_Riza please. Please, please, please. Still be there, still-_

A faint but steady thrum against his fingertips brought him out of his thoughts.

"She's alive," he almost sighed in relief, and heard someone, probably Maria, start to sniffle.

"Roy... WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Havoc raged behind him. Roy turned to him, helplessness and confusion (for once) breaking through the arrogance. Softening, Havoc let the same emotions overwhelm him. He knelt down next to his friend, and buried his face in his hands.

The others circled around Riza, crouching on the floor with one another. Falman, ever the realist, felt her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Amazing," he mused, looking up at the Colonel, who was giving him his full attention. "All that fire, and she'd not even sweating. If I had to guess, she merely passed out from exhaustion."

Roys eyebrows arched, and he looked back down at the angel in his arms.

Maria came forward, shuffling on her knees.

"Umm... do you guys mind?" She twirled her finger, motioning for them to turn around. After several questioning looks, they obliged; Roy reluctantly handing her over.

Riza was spread out on her back, steadily breathing and...

Was she... crying?

Moving on, Maria wiped away one of her stray tears.

Leaning in, she whispered: "Shh... I promise the Colonel will be back very soon. I'm only here for the sake of your modesty."

Maria grasped the hem of Riza shirt and ever-so-carefully pulled it up.

She wasn't exactly prepared for the sight in front of her.

Riza's stomach was torn.

Several long slices raked across her stomach, and Maria noted that they all stopped before reaching the curve of her torso, and just below the breasts.

They'd also been meticulously stitched back up, very neatly, and very... professionally.

Havoc, hearing Maria gasp, turned around.

A sharp intake of breath.

And then Maes turned around.

"Holy shit."

Then Falman, then Fuery.

Roy had been too lost in his own thoughts to have hear their outbursts.

When Breda nudged him in the shoulder Roy turned as well.

He felt his heart drop to his stomach.

Falman gently touched her soon-to-be-scars, looking at them in awe.

"Sir, these are... remarkable," he said, stunned. "This workmanship is admirable at the very least. That Peter," he jerked his thumb at the charred flesh in the middle of the room.

"Didn't he say his sister was the one who stitched Riza back up?" The nods of affirmation made Falman continue.

"She's gotta be in the medical field or _something_, because I've gotten stitches worse than these in a damn hospital."

Falman straightened.

"Let's get out of here. Get Riza somewhere safe, call in an investigation team to take a look at this hellhole."

"And figure out who the hell these people are."

* * *

"Hey, sweetie. Just wanted to know, are you and Elicia still at your cousin's house? Yeah? Good. Could you two possibly stay there for a few more days? Thanks," Maes looked up from the phone to Roy, who was nervously pacing next to the pay phone they's stopped at.

"Riza's had an...accident. I'm gonna be out of the house for a few days."

* * *

Riza was stiff and sore all over. Sunlight was pouring in through the open window, and Riza squinted against the harsh light.

The alarm clock on the bedside table read: _5__:20_

_Great._

Riza sat up slowly, groaning. She blearily took in her surroundings. An unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar (but warm) bed.

But there was _something_ about this room...

Sniffing, Riza realized with a jolt: _This must be Roy's room. _

The whole place smelled of him. Riza smiled sadly, remembering her dream.

Her future.

Riza was sure that reality was just around the corner. Sighing, she slipped out of bed. She was about halfway across the lavish room when...

She tripped over Rebecca. Rebecca let out a yelp of surprise, waking Maria, who'd been sleeping on the floor next to her.

Riza clapped her hand over Maria's mouth preventing profanities from escaping her mouth.

"It's just me," she assured her friends in a hushed tone. They relaxed under her friendly smile.

"Riza!" they happily cried, toppling over once more as they enveloped their best friend in a group hug. "You're okay!" Riza saw tears pooling in Rebecca's eyes. Smiling, Riza pulled both women tighter in.

After a minute or two of content silence they pulled back again.

"We're in Roy's room, aren't we?"

"How the hell did you know that?"

Riza shrugged. "It smells like him in here."

The laughing began.

Slapping her knee, Maria gasped. "Holy shit, that was the best thing I've ever heard!"

"Maes is gonna piss himself when he hears that!" Rebecca crowed happily between chuckles.

"Don't think you're getting off so easy. What the hell was that back there?" Riza struggled to recall exactly what Rebecca might have been referring to.

"The bursting into fire stunt you pulled back there, dumbass." Riza sheepishly blushed, suddenly taking an interest in the pattern on her shorts. Riza sighed, wondering where to start.

"Have you two ever seen me out of uniform?" Maria looked at her in confusion.

"No that you mention it, barely. Since I've known you, I've only ever seen you out of that stupid coat once or twice."

"There's a reason for that."

Riza ran a hand through her golden locks.

And she began to tell her story from the beginning.

* * *

"So, your psycho-dad left you with totally dangerous alchemy research. You said he hid it. But when you moved from your old house, you said you took the research with you. So, where'd you stash it?"

Riza said nothing.

Silently, she turned around, pointing at her back. Maria and Rebecca stared at the back of her shirt, not quite realizing what she meant.

"I don't get it. What did he-" Rebecca's eyes widened. "That bastard didn't..."

She nodded, and Maria gasped, hands flying to her mouth.

"Oh..." Maria's voice came out through her fingers. "So that's why they wanted your skin."

Riza nodded, happy to finally tell someone, besides Black Hayate, the whole story.

"So, does Roy know?"

"No," she said in a hoarse whisper. "I never intended for him to see it.'

"But why?"

"Because the burden I carry is much, much more dangerous than anything we've ever known."

They didn't know exactly how to respond to that.

"They're the markings of a monster."

She smiled through a few tears and sniffled.

"Angels aren't supposed to see things like that."

She silenced her two best friends with a sad look.

"Go back to sleep, okay? I'm fine, I'm just gonna have a look around."

Sleepily, Maria lowered herself back down to the air mattress.

"Riza," she said through a yawn. "You should tell him."

Riza blushed all the way to her hairline.

"Yeah, and besides, I don't think he'll react to your secret as bad as you think."

Rebecca turned on her side, trying to get more comfortable.

"Hey, Riz," she added just before she fell into unconsciousness "The whole team is scattered around here. You might wanna put some pants on."

Riza looked down, suddenly realizing her lack of pants.

Riza was wearing a shirt, her bra, and her underwear.

"Sorry, they had too much blood to be considered sanitary. So we took 'em off."

"Damnit!"

* * *

Roy's shirts were _really_ comfortable.

Riza wore one of his dress shirts over her bra. The light blue material was just long enough to hide her bottom. If she moved a certain way, the bottom edge of her underwear could just barely be seen.

_Hey, at least they're boy shorts._

Riza was thankful she hadn't worn the stupid underwear set Rebecca had gotten her last Christmas.

_That would have been bloody awful._

She hadn't buttoned up the oversize shirt. Why bother?

She looked at the impressive kitchen setup. Walking through that, she found a guest room where Fuery, Falman and Breda were spread out on either the bed or the floor. Closing that door, she opened another, revealing Havoc and Maes practically laying on top of each other.

Mentally saving that image, she chuckled and moved on through the living room, and back to the kitchen.

She stumbled over her bare feet, her senses dulled after such a long sleep.

Opening the fridge, she rummaged through the contents and pulled out a carton of milk. She turned around to set it on the kitchen island.

Finding herself face-to-face with a drowsy, bewildered Colonel hadn't been her expectation.

"AHH!" She yelped, dropping the container. She scrambled to grasp the sides of her shirt, pulling them tight to her body.

The Colonel had a slack-jawed expression frozen on his face, eyes wide as saucers. He suddenly blushed, turning as red as Riza was.

_That was her... Was that her bra?!_

Roy stumbled back, throwing his hands up and and whipping his head to the side. In the process of doing so, his feet slid forward out from under him. He his bare back collided with the tiled floor, and Riza toppled over, landing squarely on his chest.

Her hair was sprawled out over his skin, soft to the touch. Her face was buried in the crook of his neck, and her hands were pressed to his strong chest as his breathing evened out.

And all in less than three seconds.

She scrambled off of him, apologizing and blushing profusely.

Roy still couldn't make his mouth move. Riza held his shirt tight over her chest emphasizing her... curves.

She held her hand out tentatively, and he gratefully allowed her to hoist him to his feet.

He roughly swallowed, recalling a dream he had that involved her looking somewhat like this.

Somewhat.

"Is that, umm, my shirt?" He asked, and she nodded.

"So sorry, si-" she stopped, seeing the _are-you-really-gonna-fucking-do-this-now_ look on his face that screamed irritation.

"Roy. I don't know where my pants went and my other shirt was too short so I..." she cleared her throat.

He smiled reassuringly. "It's fine. Help yourself to whatever you can find in the closets. We're gonna be here for a while."

She gave him a questioning look, and he leaned back against the marble counter.

"The whole team is gonna stay here for a bit. Just for safety reasons. Oh, and the mental stability of all your friends. That too." He suddenly shot forward, pulling her into a hug. Tears began to trail down his cheeks, and he buried his face in her hair.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again." His voice was muffled, as he was speaking into her shoulder.

She was shaking, and Roy realized; she was crying. For the first time ever, she wasn't made of stone, she wasn't invincible.

She was... vulnerable.

"I'm sorry," she blubbered. "I didn't mean for you to have to get dragged into this. I really didn't. I never meant for you to-"

"You idiot." She pulled back, looking him right in his obsidian eyes. "Do you really think that's why I'm- why _we're_ angry with you?"

Nod.

"Next time you realize you're in trouble, I'd better be the first person you call," he threatened. "No matter when, no matter where, I promise I'll be there in 15 minutes, gloves on. You are my first priority."

She smiled, and muttered something intelligible under her breath. _  
_

_"Until she comes along."_

"Sorry, I didn't catch that."

"It was nothing."

His expression twisted into something that could be very loosely interpreted as anger. (Well, as angry as he could get with his Riza.)

"You owe me an explanation."

She nodded, combing her blonde hair with her fingers.

"I know."

* * *

**Hey guys! Sorry, this chapter was a bit slow. Again, I'm sorry that this update took so long. I promise to be faster next time!**

**Keep Calm And Read On (Or not)**

**-Pyro**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.**

**Hey guys! (She says to an empty room...)**

** Don't think anyone is even reading this anymore...**

**Still gonna post it anyway.**

**And if you are reading this, I honestly don't know what the hell is wrong with you. (No offense or anything.)**

**So whoever is proving to be difficult, it's your own fault from here on out. **

**And just wanted to say thank you to:**

**WhispersOfWings**

**Hiccstrid4eva**

**Locklady (Sorry, if I added the '.' your name would immediately erase. Wouldn't save at all. I'm not really sure what's wrong with my computer.)**

**I Must Say**

**I've been meaning to apologize. Here goes: sorry Riza and Roy seem to be blushing and crying all the time. I don't know how to write. **

**Just letting you guys know, I'm not gonna do the scene-change thing I did when Riza was explaining it all to Maria and Rebecca. You're going to get the WHOLE explanation.**

**Get comfortable, because this might take a while. **

* * *

Riza and Roy were just casually sitting on his kitchen floor at this point.

Roy was leaning against the kitchen island, and Riza against the wall, facing him.

She played with the small key still secured to her ankle, twirling it around in her fingers.

She'd buttoned up the shirt, due to the Colonel's request. (He'd averted his eyes and turned red when he asked)

Riza thought her lack of clothing was just making him uncomfortable, which was understandable.

In actuality, Roy had been imagining the horrible things he'd do to any member of the team if they'd caught her in that state. Friend or not, if Havoc had even glanced at her in the wrong way...

"Colone- Roy, why are you smiling?" Riza asked. Roy shook his head, smiling to himself.

"It was nothing. What were you saying?" She straightened.

"We were talking about the fire." Roy crossed his arms over his bare chest.

"Right. I believe you owe me an explanation." He gave her an irritated look, saying how he felt about this whole thing.

Riza blinked.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

"Yes. I do."

In. Out.

"I can do the same thing you can." Roy snorted, and rolled his eyes.

"Fine, I can somewhat do what you can. I can... manipulate fire. I can bend it to my will," she said, scratching her neck. "Only, I can do it on a bigger scale."

"Yeah, I noticed. You seemed a bit more useful at that warehouse than I was." Roy grumbled, disappointment in himself coloring his voice.

"Only because I beat you to it," she said, moving to sit next to the Colonel, playfully shoving him. "You would've kicked that guy's ass halfway to next week. We're not _that_ far apart on the power scale."

She sat in front of him, shoulders hunched. Out of spite she added: "Except, y'know, I'm not useless when I'm wet."

"Hey!" She scooted away, laughing. His fingers, which had been reaching out to grab her, just barely grazed her shoulders.

"I am not useless!" He insisted, pouting at her. She smiled, beaming right at him.

"No, you're not," she admitted truthfully. She cleared her throat, serious again.

"I'm sorry I never told you. No," she added seeing he was about to say it was alright. "I should have told you. If I trust anyone, it's you. I'm sorry if it came across that way. I'd trust you with my life, you know that. It's just that... I didn't want you to carry the same burden I do."

Riza paused, usure if she should really continue.

Roy seeing how hesitant she was, cut in. "Oh, no. Don't think that you're ending with that. I want a full explanation. I know you Riz. I can tell what you're thinking."

Riza sure hoped not. Because lying underneath the urge to conceal the real story concerning her father, were some thoughts she _really_ wanted to keep to herself.

_Umm... is Roy going to put on a shirt? Not that I mind, it's just that-_

"Riz," he pleaded. "I need to know."

"I know, it's just that... I've never told anyone the real story before today. I mean, this morning I told Rebecca and Maria but-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You told Maria and Rebecca, but you don't want to tell me? I've known you way longer than they have! Do you really not want me to know?"

His eyes were showing the hurt he felt, and Riza couldn't resist it. He just looked so confused and sad. It broke her heart.

"I'm sorry. I'll tell you the real story. But you might not trust me anymore when I'm finished. Hate is more like it," she warned, and Roy shook his head.

"There's nothing you could possibly say that would make me hate you. Was it during Ishval? Something you picked up? You didn't look at my notes before I destroyed them, right? I mean, I can forgive you if you did. But Riza, you could have just asked me. I might've said no but-"

"It started with my father." His eyebrows quirked.

"So you stole a copy of your father's work when he died? Wow, who knew? Your rebellious phase started WAY before you started working under me. When you finished the notes, did you make another modification? In the formula, I added another-"

"No, I didn't steal a copy. It was," she roughly swallowed, a bitter taste filling her mouth. "Given to me. I got work directly from my father."

"Wait, does that mean _I_ got the copy? Aww, shit! It was a great forgery then. The penmanship looked identical! Dammit, I knew I should've gone to you first! I mean, not that your mom wasn't reliable and all, but she was pretty sick the whole time I knew her. She was a great person, just easily confused towards... the end." He lowered his voice, though he knew Riza hadn't liked either of her parents growing up.

"No," Riza said, her voice breaking. "You got the real deal. But, I got the final copy." Roy looked into her eyes, searching for a sign.

"So, he did finish his work? And you have it..." he trailed off looking at her to verify if his theory was right so far. "And what, you have gloves too?" She shook her head. "Oh. So what, do you have the fire alchemy circles I have? Are they modified or something? On your feet maybe?" He said, recalling how she'd been able to shoot fire from the bottoms of her feet.

She shook her head, dreading what she now knew was inevitable.

She spoke slowly and carefully.

"Tattoos, yes. Feet, no."

She brought herself up to her knees. Kneeling on the tiled surface, the cool feeling against her skin was calming.

She started to unbutton her shirt as Roy's hand flittered about and his mind went wild.

_Maybe the Professor modified it before giving it to Riza. She wouldn't have known, and maybe she thought it was-_

Roy made the mistake of looking up. Riza had unfastened the front of her shirt and was in the process of shrugging her shirt off.

Roy panicked, wildly looking at the entry-ways that led into the kitchen.

"One of the guys could come in and see you! Riza, keep your clothes on!" he hissed, struggling to keep himself from ogling her. and avoid looking at her wounds again. It had hurt enough the first time. He didn't need to go through that again._  
_

The shirt way off, and fell around her knees.

"Roy, calm down. It's what? 5:45? Why on earth would they be up right now?"

She clutched her bra to her front, and very slowly, snaked a hand to her back, and unclasped the back of the garment.

"Riza, what the hell are you doing?" Roy, did something he'd already done several time that day. He turned pink and stared.

It took him a second to realize what he was doing. Mortified, Roy turned away, trying to preserve her dignity. Still holding her bra to cover her self, her used her free hand to lightly grab his.

"No," she murmured. "It's alright."

When he finally did look up, she turned slowly.

Red.

The first thing he realized was: red.

Red sweeping elegantly from the back of her neck to just a few inches above her hips.

Lines of text winding around interlocked circles. Strange symbols, forming one huge alchemy circle.

It was strange, seeing the stark contrast from milky white to dark red.

"This is why," she whispered, not turning around. "I can do those things I did. My whole body might as well be a weapon. It pretty much is. The symbol is amplified, since it's so massive. His work, is more dangerous than you could ever imagine."

"You can touch it," she spoke softly. A finger gently traced the curve of the first circle, sending a shiver up her spine.

He inspected the symbols in wonder. They were encoded in a method Roy had never seen.

"So the power flows through your whole body," he said, tilting his head as he tried to read the next sentence.

"And because if its size and the information it contains, it's much more powerful."

"So that's why he checked their backs first. He was looking for it," he came to this conclusion with pity. She'd been living with that guilt for weeks now.

"Those girls, the women before me, they were my friends," she whispered. Even though he couldn't see her face, he knew what she was feeling. Shame and regret.

"Their parents were people who worked under my father. Before you came to learn from him. They'd always bring their daughters. They were my friends. But one day, they just... stopped coming. The parents too. Maybe they wouldn't work with him anymore, or maybe he fired them. I don't know."

She was at a standstill, holding her breath.

_She'd bracing herself._ He realized with a start. _Bracing herself from what? From... me?_

Suddenly his hands were on her back, reattaching the two ends of her undergarment. He took the shirt off the floor, and pulled it over her shoulders.

She turned to face him, tears leaking out of her eyes.

_Traitors._ She thought as she brushed them away.

She was enveloped in a hug before she could realize she was crying again.

She sobbed into his shoulder, clinging to his neck. With his arms wrapped around her waist, and his face in her hair, she felt secure.

Safe, even.

"I'm sorry," she cried. "I didn't mean for them to die, or for Maria to get hurt or any of this. I should've told you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just didn't want you to see something that _awful._ I didn't want you to hate me. I didn't know what to do."

She paused to sniffle, and he reassuringly smoothed her hair down.

"So I went into the Academy. I wanted to escape the fire. I swore I would never use it. But then I met you again in Ishval, and I was so confused. You seemed to be helping people. Helping Amestris, anyway. I changed my promise; I'd only ever use it in a complete emergency."

He sat on the floor, pulling her down to rest on her bottom.

"Riza. I could never, ever hate you. You hear me? I know you were doing what you thought was best. It's okay."

"Shh..." he assured he when she began to cry again. "We're fine, see? Maria's arm is going to heal. Those girls, it isn't your fault. None of it, you hear me?"

"Pathetic," she muttered, burying her face further into his chest. "Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic."

She was reliving her nightmare.

Roy was here.

He'd seen her shame.

And she was crying.

Again.

"Pathetic," she sobbed. "Why am I so pathetic?"

He yanked back, gazing into her watery amber eyes. His gaze was hard.

"Don't you ever say that. Riza, you are _not_ pathetic. You hear me?" His words were firm, leaving no room for arguments. "You do not have to be clear-headed all of the time. You shouldn't feel bad because you're not invincible. No one is. And in any case, you're as close as it gets. I don't need you to-"

Riza reeled back, as if he'd slapped her in the face.

She crumpled, folding in on herself as she pushed herself away.

Hugging her arms to her body, she bit her lip so hard it bled.

She practically flung herself away from him when he confusedly tried to grab her hand.

_It's like repeatedly kicking a puppy._ She thought in despair.

_But it hurts. It hurts so much. _The sorrow was clawing away at her heart, and Riza was succumbing to the pain.

_But you have to Riza,_ the voice in her head sounded as sad as she felt. _Leave it alone. It was all going to blow up in your face eventually. You've gotta face is sooner or later._

_He._

_Does._

_Not._

_Love._

_You._

"STOP IT!" Riza screamed. She was clutching her head like her brain was gonna explode. Roy leapt at her, not caring if he was being to forward.

He pressed the back of his hand to her forehead.

She wasn't burning up, just a little flushed.

"Riza," he hissed. "What is wrong?"

"I can't do this anymore!" She screamed, grabbing at her hair. She was pacing , stumbling on her own two feet as tears blurred her vision.

Roy caught her easily, quite literally sweeping her off her feet.

"Hey," he murmured softly in her ear. "Can't do what? What wrong?" On the inside, he was panicking like a lost child. On the outside, he seemed to know exactly how to handle an incoherent, warm-blooded female.

_I guess this'll be great practice for her majesty._

"I can't live like this anymore."

She reached down to readjust her shirt. She pulled herself out of his arms, and started to walk away.

"I won't do this anymore. I can't... I can't see you anymore Roy. I can't even talk to you anymore."

"What the hell are you going on about? Riza, don't do this! You can't just shut me out out of nowhere! Tell me why! Give me one good reason why! I NEED TO KNOW!" He roared.

Riza whirled around.

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!" She yelled back, and the two just stood there in silence as tears from both officers dripped to the floor.

"I have loved you since that day we met. I have watched as you left a trail of broken hearts behind on your journey to the top. I swore that I'd get you there, and I can't let my emotions get in the way of that."

"I used to cry myself to sleep, wondering what lucky girl had you for the night," she admitted to the frozen man. "And then I'd think about who I'd end up protecting permanently along with you."

"The queen," she said with a slight nod "Was what I started to call her. The lucky girl who'd share the throne with the king."

She humorlessly chuckled.

"I used to dream about you keeping me around forever. I just wanted to see you need me. But then my dreams started to turn on me. You'd send me away, or tell me I was useless."

"Worse, you'd tell me you would tell me you didn't need me. Never again."

She stepped closer, officially invading his personal space.

"Are you happy now?" The heartache written on her face was just replaying in his head, along with the longing, bitter speech that had been given with it.

Roy looked down at her, and the broken expression she wore.

And he bent down to close the distance.

Riza was seeing stars.

Floating, as their lips moved against each other.

She wove her hands into his hair, tugging gently, as she lowered his head closer to hers.

Roy was watching fireworks explode beneath his eyelids.

He kissing Riza.

Riza Hawkeye.

And she was letting him. She was smiling into his mouth, as he cradled her back and held her shoulders firmly against him.

After who-knows how long, the two pulled away, gasping for breath.

The flash momentarily blinded them both.

Maes and Havoc triumphantly held up a camera.

Well, Havoc was shell-shocked at the sight of Hawkeye in her underwear.

Maes was smiling like a gleeful idiot.

The whole team was standing behind them, gaping like she'd just grown a third eye.

Except for Maria, who was giving her a thumbs-up from above Havoc's head.

Nonchalantly, Rebecca was propped up against the wall.

"Damn girl, what was wrong with the set I got you for Christmas?"

Gesturing at her boy shorts, Rebecca wore a grin that rivaled the Cheshire Cat's. Riza slapped her friend upside the head.

"I will not to parade around Roy's house in a thong!"

Mirth was clearly expressed in her eyes.

"I think you mean: not _yet_."

Man... the look on Riza's face before she angrily chased Rebecca around Roy's house was a sight no one would _ever_ forget.

* * *

**Hey guys! Thanks for reading/reviewing, I really appreciate it. **

**I hope this chapter didn't suck as much as I thought it did.**

**Remember: if you're bored, or want me to ****respond to you personally, just PM me or leave a review and I'll PM you.**

**Thanks for everything,**

**-Pyro**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or a****ny of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.**

**Sorry this took so long.**

**Hey! What's up? (cricket, cricket, cricket)**

**Okay, so... hello there?**

**First off, thank you to:**

**DarkWinxGirl**

**Hanji-Zo **

**duck liet**

**So, thank you for reading, and I promise it'll all be over soon. (That doesn't mean this is the last chapter, by the way.)**

**Remember; language, kissing and romance-y intense situations. But I DO NOT do lemons.**

**Not sure if you realized, but Riza's grandfather is Fuhrer.**

**Sorry.**

* * *

After explanations had been given and money had been (grudgingly) exchanged, the 9 officers sat in a circle on the carpet around Roy's coffee table.

The sun was rising, heating up the room up.

"Riza..." Roy growled, eyeing Havoc as he ogled Riza unabashedly. Well, more of a trance-like state, unaware of the glower on his superior's face.

"Button the shirt up," he requested, cheeks flaming, and not just because of the heat.

Riza, oblivious for the second time in her life (the first time had been all those years when she'd been heart broken over the Colonel), gave him a questioning look.

Havoc snapped out of his stupor, and at least had the decency to look guilty.

"What? Why? It's hot in here..." she whined, inwardly loving how his expression softened.

Maes 'coughed' into his elbow.

_"Whipped."_

Roy smiled, pulling the half-dressed sniper into his lap. She settled comfortably in his arms, giggling like a little girl. Riza played with his hair, twirling the dark locks between her fingers. He smirked at the goo-goo-eyed females and the encouraging males.

"You bet I am."

Fuery blinked.

"Wow, I thought we were gonna have to beat it out of him or something."

Maes snorted. "Dude, you're making the _I-told-you-so_ moment so unsatisfying. The least you could do is protest it or stutter or something!"

Roy laughed, engulfing Riza's small frame in his bare arms as he did.

"What's the point? No use denying it anymore. I. Love. Riza."

He nuzzled her nose with his and Riza turned back to face Maria and Rebecca.

Her brows crinkled and smoothed, as if she'd suddenly realized something.

She kept her arms casually hung around Roy's neck and she winced at the memory.

"Oh, I can't believe I forgot to mention it! I think they'd been watching me... well, _us_ for a while."

Roy tensed. A sensitive topic; Riza having psychopathic stalkers was something he hadn't quite gotten over yet.

"Wait, us?" Riza solemnly nodded.

"Yeah. You and me. There were pictures of me as a little girl. Even one with me and my dad. There was also a picture of us..." she trailed off, noticing the incomprehension on the faces of those around her.

"Yeah, _how surprising,_" Havoc's voice was laced with sarcasm. "It's not like Riza watches your back practically 24/7!"

"No. From when we were teenagers."

Deathly silence.

"...it was the day I came to study under your father, right?" Roy leaned back against the couch. He rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. "Yeah, I still have that one around here somewhere."

"Umm... no."

Roy straightened.

"But that's the only picture _I_ have of us as teenagers!" He protested. He turned on her, pouting. "Hey! You have pictures of me as an awkward, gangly teenager and you've been keeping them from me? Riz... That's no fair..."

"No. Pictures of us. Inside the house, at his funeral, that day _you _had to step up and teach me how to drive. Everything. Even a shot from..."

_Gulp_

"Ishval."

Silence.

"Dozens of them. Taped on to her vanity, the newer ones on top. I was trying to find my way out, and I just found it. Lacey's room."

Breda spoke quietly.

"We called in an investigation team. Under the circumstances, Fuhrer Grumman has agreed that all personal effects of the kidnappers belong to you."

Falman raised his hand, as if asking permission to speak.

"I suggested that we stay here for a week or so. Maria and Riza still need time to heal, and the Fuhrer has said it might still be unsafe."

Havoc shrugged.

"I don't have a problem with that. There's still some digging around that needs to be done, so we could have the evidence brought here to pass the time. What do you guys think?"

The absurdity of the situation finally seemed to sink in for Maes.

He wasn't quite sure why, but suddenly it just snapped into place.

And it was nice, and absurd, in its own way.

Roy was gazing at Riza like a lovesick puppy, and for the first time ever, didn't even bother trying to hide it.

He was totally lovestruck.

He was making goo-goo eyes at one of the toughest women he'd ever met, and Riza was melting like putty.

She was cradled in his arms, which were protectively wrapped around her waist.

His lips were by her ear, nose nuzzled into her hair.

_I might still get to be a godfather someday!_

* * *

Only one days in and Maria had already been started sketching her bridesmaid dress.

_Pink... or maybe baby blue... Bronze?_

"Hey Rebecca, can you come here?" Rebecca walked around the couch, dressed in an over-size sweatshirt and a pair of yoga pants.

She yawned. "Yeah, what's up? Something wrong?"

Maria chewed on her pencil eraser, thinking.

She passed over her sketch. Rebecca glanced down at the sketchbook, flipping through some of the previous drawings. The newest one clung to the figure's hips, then falling out to just below the ankles. It was a strapless number, and Maria had lightly penciled in a sweetheart neckline.

Rebecca pointed to the overlapping necklines. Maria shrugged.

"I wasn't sure which one would look better."

Rebecca pointed to another one, with a ballroom-style skirt and a pair of stilettos drawn under the dress.

"This an idea for Riza's dress?"

Maria nodded.

"But back to the dresses for us... what color do you think?"

"What color for what?" Riza's voice came from the other side of the room.

Maria and Rebecca scrambled to hide the notebook. Rebeca ended up sitting on it, successfully concealing it from her usually very-perceptive gaze.

Riza was still wearing Roy's shirt, and now some sleeping shorts under it.

Roy had practically thrust them in her face, glowing with embarrassment as he asked her to put them on. She'd started to pull them on and Roy had tripped over his own feet trying to escape his room.

Yes, he loved her. Truly, deeply, loved her. And he had once been a playboy, he would admit that much.

But this was Riza, a girl he'd known for years. He cared about Riza. Unlike those other girls, Riza wasn't replaceable.

Riza smiled at the memory.

Then glanced at her friends suspiciously.

"What color for what?"

"Umm, the new sofa I'm getting!" Maria replied, inwardly wincing at how uncharacteristically enthusiastic she sounded. Rebecca sharply nudged her in the ribs.

"Hehe...heh..."

The fake laughs faded into an awkward silence.

"So..." Rebecca drew the word out, adding to the tension. "Where's lover boy?"

Riza blushed about ten shades of red in half a second.

Maria threw her head back and laughed.

"Oh... that's right... Roy's in the shower... Looks like Romeo does have a sense of personal hygiene," her friends teased.

Rebecca tiptoed behind Riza leaning into her ear.

"Only question is: why aren't you in there with him?"

"Rebecca!" Riza squealed, scandalized.

"Oh god, what'd she do know?" Maes asked worriedly as he entered the living room.

"Nothing!" Riza answered quickly. "I was just on my way to the uh... the kitchen. Maes, you want anything before the evidence gets here?"

"Coffee would be great." He said as he followed a flustered Riza to the kitchen.

"And by the way," he said just quiet enough for Riza not to hear him as he passed. "Try periwinkle."

* * *

Roy emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. He shook his head, water droplets flying and splattering a wide-eyed Riza.

Riza hadn't really _needed _to go the bathroom after her cup of coffee.

But now she was glad she had.

She'd never admit she thought like this but: Roy was _sexy._

His dark hair was damp, and his towel hung low on him, just below the hips.

He was shaking his head like a wet dog, not having noticed that Riza was there.

Riza was stunned.

Had he alway been so devastatingly handsome?

And then he went to untangle his knotted hair and knocked Riza in the head.

_Have the walls always been this close together?_ He though to himself as he rubbed his sore elbow.

"Damn it," he cursed, hopping from foot to foot holding the forming bruise.

He brushed his hair out of his eyes, the pain from his elbow suddenly forgotten.

Riza was sprawled out on the floor, partly slumped against the wall.

Roy crouched to the floor next to her, smoothing her hair back.

"Riz... Riza, you okay?

She groaned.

"Ugh, what happened?" She asked as she sat up.

"Riza, I'm _so_ sorry! I didn't mean to! I was just getting out of the shower and I think I hit you in the face. It was an accident, I swear!" He burst out, ashamed.

"It's okay. Accidents happen," she reassured him. She pressed a hand against his bare chest. She peeked up at him, kissing her way up his throat.

She stopped at the spot just behind his jaw, and he shivered. She let the water droplets run from her fingers and down her arms as her hands made their way over his shoulders and settled at the base of his neck.

"I love you," she murmured between kisses.

He smiled at her, standing her up and looping his arms through hers,

"C'mon, I've gotta go get dressed."

He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"You can help if you want."

Hey, just because he wasn't going to rush her, didn't mean he wasn't okay with her starting anything.

He waited for the half-hearted slap on the arm and the scandalized 'ROY!' but it never came.

All he got was her finger under his chin, a sexy smirk. She grabbed his hand and playfully pushed him forward.

"Lead the way, _Colonel._"

* * *

Wisely, Kain didn't mention to the others that Riza and Roy had discreetly snuck out of his room one at a time well after lunch.

(No, they did not have sex. Seriously, guys, calm down.)

* * *

When boxes upon boxes of Lacey and Peter's crap arrived at the house later that day, Maes' eyeballs nearly doubled in size.

Falman groaned into his hands.

"Aww.. fuck, this is gonna take forever!"

Havoc started sorting through the papers, giving a low whistle as the vanity was brought into the room.

"When Riza said there were a lot of pictures, she sure wasn't kidding."

Maes gingerly began to peel off the photos one by one, a concerned expression overpowering the excitement of finding pictures of Roy.

Havoc took a drag from his cigarette.

"Wow, Riza was hot back then too."

_SLAM_

Roy pushed Havoc against the wall roughly from behind, squishing his face into the wall.

"Say that again, and I swear I will cut off your-"

"Okay, that's enough now!" Riza interrupted, restraining her boyfriend from punching his lights out.

"How 'bout we start looking through these papers? We could start by trying to see what useful and what's crap, and carry on from there."

"Already on it," Falman said, holing up a stack of papers." He quickly skimmed the documents, and visibly paled.

"What? What is it?" Roy asked, leaping over his dining table to shake Falman's shoulders.

Falman pushed the desperate-for-information Colonel off him.

"Gimme a minute! Get your hands off me!"

He brushed off his pajama pants with a haughty expression, as Riza planted a kiss on his cheek. He relaxed, deeply inhaling.

"Sorry. I'm calm now."

"Anyway... I think Pater and Lucy aren't the only ones out there looking for Riza. I've read through some of these, and they're all letters. But they're signed: From Petey and Lace. I think we're not quite in the clear yet."

"Look," Maes said, grabbing one of the many letters. "This one mentions a rough plan, talking about what to do with her skin once they've got her. But the don't say what they plan to use it for..."

He trailed off, scanning another letter.

"Yeah, none of them do. Some mention taking her to 'the meeting place' when it's time, but they don't say where..."

Kain sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Okay how about this: we'll work our way through these until like, dinner time, and then we'll eat and decide what to do from there."

Roy shrugged.

"Works for me."

Jean smiled, suddenly thinking of the perfect way to push his buttons.

"Hey, can Riza be my sleeping buddy tonight?"

_SLAP_

* * *

**Hey guys! Sorry that this chapter sucks and took FOREVER to post. There's legit no time to do this.**

**School just takes so much effort...**

**Yeah, I'm on the struggle bus.**

**Thanks,**

**-Pyro**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or a****ny of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.**

**So, Ebola is freaking me out, I've got a test every day this week, and I think the universe hates me. **

**Not much has changed.**

**First of all, thank you to:**

**Masuchi**

**magicalcow**

**Hotaru Kai**

**TheFlyingLionFromNarnia**

**yache**

**fullmetalscully**

**Second, MERRY CHRISTMAS!**

**Haha, just kidding. Halloween was like, five days ago. (At least, it was when I started to write this chapter.)**

**I was the TARDIS for halloween, and one of my 'friends' and her boyfriends (Yeah, _boyfriends_) went around and told everyone to call me the re-TARDIS. (She's not even my 'friend' anymore.)**

**Oh, and my other friend, (the british one) told all the sixth graders that I was being a train. (Y'know, because of the light thing that I wore on the top of my head...)**

**Question: who has a problem with Roy and/or Riza being called 'babe?'**

**Or Roy STILL not knowing who Grumman's ****granddaughter is?**

**READ THIS! IT'S IMPORTANT!**

**I know I was REALLY unclear about this, but Riza's fire doesn't hurt her. Same with all other flames.**

**At least, not without her consent. She can withstand the pain that comes with fire to a more extreme extent, though burns won't ever fade. Though, she does heal much faster when it comes to fire-related injuries.**

**Also, I don't think I'm gonna do a sequel. I'm just going to combine it into this story because let's be honest; who's going to go to all the trouble of going to my profile and check out another story?**

**No, no. Not going to ask that of you guys.**

**So, thanks for reading this unnecessarily long AN and R&amp;R!**

* * *

Havoc held his jaw and winced.

The skin was blackish-blue, a bruise blossoming roughly the size of Roy's fist.

Sure, the slap hadn't been too bad. Then Roy had uppercutted him and punched him square in the jaw, which was a whole other story.

"Sorry," Roy muttered, handing over the ice pack to Riza, who then turned to Havoc and pressed it to his tender skin.

Riza glared at him, earning a guilty look from Roy.

"I... Um... wasn't thinking straight..." he lamely explained.

Havoc snorted.

"You're never thinking straight when it comes to this one," he said, jabbing his thumb at Riza. "Remember that one time when we ran into Riza in town wearing a dress, and you thought she was going on a date? You got _soooo_ upset that you-"

Roy rushed forward, clapping his hand over the smoking-addict's mouth.

"How 'bout we _not_ share that story with the class?" he hissed.

Riza read only one thing in his eyes: mischief. So, naturally she played along. She quirked her eyebrow at him, sauntering over to him. She wasn't really sure if one would call it 'sauntering.' More like overly-ridiculous walking and swaying of the hips. Finally she added the cherry on top, pursing her lips in a more feminine way.

But she didn't expect Roy to blush all the way up to his hairline and stare like a teenager just starting 'the changes.'

Not that she knew what that looked like anyway...

His hand feel to his side, as Riza fluttered her eyelashes at him.

"Roy..." she half-whined. "I wanna know..."

"Please...?" she pouted, even going so far as to jut out her bottom lip.

Roy's face was probably the most hilarious thing Havoc had seen all day.

_FLASH_

And for the second time in less than 24 hours, the new couple was blinded by the Maes' camera.

"Aww shit!" Roy swore, rubbing the white light out of his eyes. Riza was holding her head between her hands, waiting for the spots to fade from her vision.

They were dancing across her line of sight, and she sat down to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"Maes... please tell me you didn't catch that stupid expression on my face..." Riza asked, dreading the answer she knew was coming.

"Yep."

"Hey, I thought it was pretty hot," Havoc piped up from behind her.

"OH, THAT IS IT!"

Riza had both her arms around Roy's torso before he could actually harm his friend. (The man she also considered to be one of her brothers who took pride in egging on her 'boyfriend.')

"Roy," she chided as she stroked his hair. "Shh.. Yeah, it's okay. Jean was just joking. Uh huh, he didn't mean it..."

"You're my Riza," he stated stubbornly into his shoulder.

Riza mouthed at her two friends over his shoulder: _Go._

Jean Havoc pulled at Maes' hand, dragging him out of the room before Roy's explosive temper made a reappearance.

_Oh, he is so whipped._

"I love you, you know that?" Roy asked as he rose from her shoulder to kiss the tip of her nose. She giggled, the inner female finally emerging.

"Yeah, I know." She admitted with a smile. "But I love you more."

He held her waist, lifting her up and spinning her around in circles. She threw her head back, laughing.

In the pure innocence and joy of the moment, both failed to notice Maes' camera flash once again.

* * *

Havoc had papers spread out in front of him, a pad in his lap as he jotted down seemingly-relevant information.

The doorbell rang, and chiming sound echoing through the house.

Riza went to answer the doorbell, Havoc and Roy blocking her way more quickly than she thought possible.

"Riza, what the hell are you doing? What part of 'there still might be people out there trying to get you' did you _not_ understand?" Roy demanded, effectively stopping her attempt to slip past him as he lectured her on her personal safety.

"Relax," she sighed, rolling her eyes at their over-protectiveness. She held her fingers up, poised to snap. "Fire, remember?"

"If someone whips a gun to your face, that won't do much," Havoc shot back. She whipped a gun out from the waistband of her shorts, clicking off the safety. She had the barrel of the gun pressed between his eyes, daring him to keep talking.

"I didn't get the position of Roy's right-hand because I have slow reflexes."

She headed towards the front door, pushing past the two men. She took a few steps forward, turning around in second thought.

"And besides, I don't need my hands to burn someone to a crisp."

Her eyes flashed, lighting up her amber eyes a shade of orange that illuminated the dangerous circles.

"Believe me, I can handle it."

She turned around, leaving two stunned men in her wake.

"Sorry," she called out over her shoulder. "Guess I forgot to mention that."

Jean's jaw dropped, and the vein in Roy's forehead bulged. Rebecca spoke up from the other side of the room.

"Anything else you'd like to tell us?"

She paused.

__Other than the alchemy circle _scratched into Lacey's wall, nothing._

"Nope."

And with that, she resumed her brisk walk around the corner to open the door.

* * *

"Well... this is a... surprise," Riza spoke slowly, wondering if her mind was playing tricks on her.

Her (secret) grandfather was standing at the door, holding out what looked like a small wooden chest. (Or a large box, however you wanted to look at it.)

And he was dressed as a woman.

_That has got to be the most... horrific dress I've ever seen._

Her face was distorted in confusion, and in somewhat disgust. (Not to mention embarrassment. It's like when your dad decides to humiliate you in public. Only, about a hundred times worse.)

_God, oh jeez, please stop the torture, _Riza thought to herself as she tried to completely erase that image from her brain. _It's painful. So, so painful. _

He giggled, trying WAY too hard to sound feminine.

"Now dearie, that's no way to greet your grandmother, is it?" He asked, his voice cracking as he broke character and roared with laughter. He slapped his leg, wheezing.

"Oh, you should have seen your face! You looked like you wanted to melt right in the doorway!"

He chuckled, struggling to keep the smile she had inherited off his face. Of course, hers only appeared for special occasions.

Straightening, he handed her the wooden box. He tugged his dress collar, evening it out as she wordlessly accepted the container.

"It's from the dead girl's room. Lacey McGrada. We found her. Here," he said, slipping a bulging manilla envelope out from his cardigan. "This is all the background info we found on her, her brother, and their connections."

He lowered his voice, gesturing towards the locked box. Upon closer inspection, she saw it had a keyhole right under the latch. Unlike most boxes, the lock was actually part of the box, instead of a padlock.

_Great, _Riza thought tiredly _Looks like we won't be able to break the lock off. Unless..._

Grumman knew what that look meant.

"I checked before I brought it here. The wooden casing has been modified my alchemy. That wood might as well be steel. Metal plating on the inside, three inches of pure iron. Try and bust into that thing by force, and you might destroy everything in there."

Leaning in closer, he offered a hug, which she suspiciously accepted.

"Once you figure out how to open it, I suggest that you do it in private. I have a hunch that whatever's in there pertains most to you."

"And that symbol on _her_ wall," he murmured "no one's seen it but you and me. I made sure to destroy it before anyone else could set foot in that room."

He pulled away, genuinely smiling at her.

"Bye, _darling._" The words were so sickly sweet that she blanched.

"Thank you grandfa- grandmother," she stuttered, slowly closing the door.

She fell back on the door, siding down to the floor.

Sh unfastened the strings and pulled out countless packets, paper, photos, and other legal documents.

"Oh, this is going to take forever."

* * *

"Dammit, how the hell are we supposed to open this thing?" Havoc raged, jumping on the iron-laced chest.

Riza had informed them of what she'd been told (though, she had failed to mention exactly _who_ her source had been) two whole days ago.

Roy had thrown it down the stairs, out a window and even attempted to burn it.

Literally nothing.

Then he'd almost passed out of exhaustion and exasperation.

Riza had practically carried him to bed, giving Maes the time of his life as he snapped pictures.

So now it was Havoc's turn to fill his role as Riza's-older-brother figure.

"I didn't even dent it!" He cried, pulling at his hair. He sat on the back of the couch, his knees around Rebecca's shoulders. "How the hell are we supposed to-"

"SHHH!" Maes shushed him loudly (an oxymoron, really), holding the receiver of Roy's phone to his chest, an attempt to block out any noises.

"Watch your language! My sweet, little innocent daughter might hear you!"

"Daddy, what does he- he..ll mean?" Elicia inquired over the phone, struggling through the curse word.

"What? Oh, nothing, darling. Just, pass the phone to mommy really quick, okay?" The death glare Maes shot Jean had him toppling over Rebecca and onto the floor.

He began explaining what the game plan for the next week or two was.

All 9 adults would stay in Roy's house for the next two weeks, at the very least. Riza and Roy were not to be left alone in the house, a psychopath possibly hunting the two and all that.

Everyone else was able to leave the premises to get food and supplies, so long as they had a partner.

Yesterday, Rebecca and Jean had gone out and collected Riza's clothes.

Today, Kain, Breda, and Falman were venturing out to gather their necessities.

And that was all they had planned out so far.

Rebecca, not having noticed the commotion yet, stood to show Maes her latest design. (It was her break from digging through the endless heaps of paper, and she'd decided to resume her work on Riza's 'wardrobe choice.')

As fate would have it, she tripped, landing right in Jean's lap. (Yeah, yeah. It's stupid, I know. But I don't know how else to start this relationship.)

She quickly straightened their limbs out, untangling their arms and ignoring his heated cheeks.

She walked over to Maes, showing him the newest design. He frowned, taking the pencil she'd also offered and flipped to the next page. He quickly produced a rough sketch of a modified version of Riza's dress.

She looked at it thoughtfully, and returned to the couch to continue sorting through Lacey's work papers.

Havoc carefully read through Peter's, trying to find anything useful. After a few minutes of silence, Rebecca shot up out of her seat.

"Look at this! See right there?" She asked pointing to a line of text on the paper currently being examined by Falman.

"Right there. She used to be a surgeon at a Central hospital facility!" Falman nodded, remembering what he'd noticed about Riza's treatment.

_So... she was quite experienced in that field, _he thought, half-pleased that his assumptions had been correct.

The other half was horrified that someone that... mentally unstable had been operating on innocent people.

"And was a top-quality surgeon too," Havoc said, reading over her shoulder. His eyes widened.

"Whoa, look at that paycheck! If they'd been living in that dump of a warehouse for years, where the hell was all that money going!? It sure as hell wasn't going towards anything other than food, or any luxuries. I mean, for god's sake, they were reduced to stealing Riza's car! What a rookie mistake!"

Breda's head bobbed in agreement.

Roy, having just entered the room, turned around, having found the sudden urge to continue looking through the mess of papers on his kitchen island.

"Looks like she was fired a couple of months ago, after about three years of working there."

"According to this, part of the reason why was because she was bi-polar, and was unsettling for many of her patients nd co-workers."

Fuery held up another paper, an inventory of things they'd found in a room assumed to be Peter's. (They being an investigative team that Maes insisted they could trust.)

It wasn't much, just some old journal and a few rudimentary weapons. A handgun and a set of knifes.

In the wardrobe they'd uncovered in his room, there had been a single framed picture lying on top.

Their mom.

Or, what they assumed was their mother. Riza had explained her theory, and they'd all agreed it sounded plausible.

"Hey guys, let's see if we can find his journals! Maybe then we could figure out what they did with all that money!" Kain said, holding up the picture.

"All the stuff from his room was packed up together, so it's gotta be in the living rooms somewhere."

After searching through the stacked boxes, Maes triumphantly held up a worn book.

He flipped through the pages, throwing it down in irritation after scanning the book.

"Fuck, its blank! He never even wrote in it!"

The others sighed, slumping in defeat.

What now?

Roy came rushing in, holding several documents.

"That money you were talking about earlier? I found two of the places it was going. This seems to be a payoff to some sort of private photographer."

He squinted, reading another letter.

"And this one is for surgical equipment."

"What. The. Hell?"

* * *

Riza gripped the small key tight in her fist, as she check once again to make sure Roy's bedroom door was locked.

She exhaled, opening her hand to look at the small trinket that lay flat in her palm.

The key was mocking her, daring her to open the box.

She swallowed, trying to wipe the moisture from her hands onto her shorts.

_Whatever is in that chest... It can't be that bad._

It was the time for the truth.

Finally, she sat on his bed, hands barely shaking as she reached out to out the key in the lock.

She eyes her trembling hands, wondering when she had begun to weaken. She closed her eyes, imagining she was holding a gun at the shooting range. When she opened her eyes, she gave a smile of satisfaction.

Her hand was steady as the key turned and the lock clicked.

When she grasped the lid and lifted the carved wood, she found folded charts and old papers. Digging through to the bottom, she found several old books, and what upon further inspection, appeared to be a diary.

Lacey's diary.

Riza opened to the first page, and began to read.

_December 18, 25 after_

_Peter's gone again. _

_I think I've upset him. _

_My job at the hospital, he tells me, is pulling me far away._

_I tell him it's good, that way we can save up faster. _

_He tells me it's a waste of time. I hate it when he says that. He also wants me to quit. _

_But I won't._

_Then we yelled. __A whole lot. __When he stormed out, so did I. I'm not going to just let him show me up again. So I ran from the house, our big, empty house, during the night. He went to one of the other buildings, brought his knives with him. (I think he's gonna try and punch a wall out again.)_

_So I'm decided be a good sister, because he's an extraordinary bother. Most of the time. _

_I went to buy some bandages. _

_Oh, that reminds me! The strangest thing happened! When I went to check out, the cashier girl asked me if I was excited for the new year. _

_"Yep," I'd answered honestly "I can't wait for 26 after to start!" She gave me a strange look after that, and rushed me out of that pathetic little store. _

_Can't wait for Christmas!_

After the first entry, Riza was thoroughly disturbed.

Lacey's multiple personalities seemed to be shining through in each sentence.

First calm, then uncultured, followed by an air of snottiness. (Or sophistication, same thing in my eyes.)

And what was this whole 'after 26' shit? What year was that supposed to be?

Riza continued through the entries, pausing to think as she finished one of the stranger ones.

_April 29th, 26 after_

_We celebrated the anniversary today. _

_I miss her. _

_Daddy finally showed up today._

_It's been almost a year since we saw him last time. He says we're doing good, and we've sent more money than he ever expected us to be able to earn. He said he's proud of us. Peter got really happy, and Dad showed us the list of possible candidates. That's what he calls her. The candidate._

_He said the most likely candidate was a woman in West City. He's not sure yet, but he says it's a promising lead. We celebrated all night, and he gave me his new theories. _

_I lost my job, so I guess I'l have to waitress to start saving again for this year. _

_I told him we'd have the it finalized soon soon. I gave him the funds for this year. _

_He promised to send us a letter if he needed more money to track her down._

_He hired a new photographer. _

_T__he other one was too conspicuous. _

_Once we finish the circles, we have to call him. _

_When he gets the girl, (or just the skin, we can work with either one) we're gonna go to the grave._

_I sure miss Mommy. _

_Can't wait to see her. _

Riza was confused, to put it simply.

So she read on.

_August 14, 26 after. _

_We finished. _

_I tried to draw the circle on my wall, but it didn't work. _

_So I changed the overlay._

_We tried to bring back some dead roses. It worked. _

_Now, we just need the fire notes. _

_After all, fire is life, fire is creation._

_We need the research of the life alchemist: Berthold Hawkeye_

_And it's the last thing we need to bring Mommy back._

The world seemed to run in slow motion.

The leather book fell from her hands, and flopped on Roy's bed.

Riza's eyes widened, and her fingers twitched as her whole body froze.

She could feel her heart beating in her chest, slowly traveling up to her throat. Her mouth tasted like copper. She'd bit her lip so hard it had started to bleed. She closed her eyes, leaning back on the headboard of Roy's bed.

_So, that's what they wanted me_ _for,_ Riza's thoughts were sluggish, as she inwardly cursed herself for not realizing it sooner. _What else would 'I want my mother back' mean?_

Human transmutation.

That's what Riza was. She was a piece in the puzzle of human transmutation.

Riza emotions were whizzing around inside her.

Riza took the journal, and clutching it to her chest, started to frantically pull out paper, looking for the complete product.

And finally, she drew out a large sheet of a paper.

Faint red lines, almost the color of...

_Burns. They were going to burn it into my back._

She was going to throw up.

Riza read through the notes on the side, neatly printed in blue ink.

_(Notes:) The symbol **must** be burned into the flame research. The two circles should overlap. The burns need to be exact. Fire is life and creation, and it must be used to infuse the alchemic power into the flesh._

One not was scrawled at the upper right corner.

_How do we burn this into her skin?_

Riza smiled. So, they hadn't known about the other ability of the array.

_Berthold Hawkeye? The life alchemist?_

Maybe...

Riza looked at the design, knowing what she was going to do.

Something completely irrational and stupid.

But she had to destroy the evidence.

The circle, she had to put it somewhere safe.

She was going to finish the array.

Complete the hypothetical 'life alchemy.'

She stuffed everything back into the box, locked it, and shoved it under Roy's bed. She buried the key in the bottom of Roy's sock drawer, praying he wouldn't find it after she finished the dangerous attempt.

She snuck into the kitchen, grabbing some disinfectant from under the sink.

Roy was face-down asleep on the kitchen counter.

_I'm sorry._

She popped her head in the living room.

"Hey guys? I'm gonna head to bed now. See you tomorrow." She was met by a chorus of goodbyes.

On second thought, she whipped out her trusted pistol, aiming it at Rebecca. Hearing the familiar 'click' of her gun, the room looked p from their work.

"I swear to god, if _any_ of my clothes are missing, altered, or replaced, there will be consequences." Rebecca muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'spoilsport,' but nonetheless agreed.

Roy had rolls of bandages in the bathroom connected to his room. So that's where she was going to do it. She locked locked the door connected to the hallway, and Roy's bedroom door. She inhaled.

_I'm gonna do it. Save the data, and burn the evidence. Save my friends the trouble._

Roy's personal bathroom was like that of a hotel.

A large jacuzzi-like bathtub was tucked in a corner, and Riza held herself up on her elbow at the bottom of it. With her hair tied up in a ponytail, she filled the massive-bathtub with ice-cold water.

_I have to hurry._

She had the diagram laid out in front of her, and started to concentrate the fire.

She gasped as she felt the small flame make progress on the circle.

_Okay, curve it to the left. _

The burn line arched over her shoulder blade, and she cried out in pain.

_I... can't... wet it... yet..._

She barely finished before unconsciousness threatened to overtake her. The towel between her teeth had bite marks that broke the fabric.

She rolled over, and dropped into the water. Her skin hissed, and steam rose up from the surface of the water. She sighed.

She blindly reached out to grab the frail paper, and relaxed as she felt the paper burn in her fingers.

Looking down, she realized blearily that the water was red.

Red.

Very, very, red.

She tried to stand, stumbling slightly.

In the medicine cabinet behind his mirror (one of the three mirrors in the room) she pulled out a bottle of painkillers. She swallowed two, hoping she had gotten the dosage right.

She hurriedly tied the bandages around her chest, tying them tight.

Her shirt was next, and the pain keep Riza on her feet. The agony was fading to a dull ache, but not enough to sedate her. Not yet.

Her shirt came on next, after her bra.

She backed up, accidentally colliding with the rim of the bathtub.

_I'm sorry._ She prayed, right before her head hit the bottom of the tub.

Instead of red, now she could only see black.

* * *

**I'm sorry. **

**That was crap, and I know it. **

***sigh***

**I promised to try and do better. But I didn't and I'm sorry. Anyway. if anyone was actually pitiful enough to read this, thank you.**

**If you have any thoughts, good or bad, please PM me, review/comment, and I'll try to respond. **

**I know it was unclear, so let me add a few things:**

**-This is set after FMA Brotherhood**

**-Grumman is the Fuhrer**

**-No one knows who his 'mysterious' granddaughter is**

**-Yes, Riza is very OOC, along with everyone else in this fic**

**Thanks,**

**-Pyro**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or a****ny of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.**

**First off, thanks to:**

**WhisperOfWings **

**(So... I guess this chapter is kind of dedicated to you because you're the only one still reading this...)**

**Anyway, thanks for reading, and sorry about... the whole story.**

**Seriously, this chapter is actually the worst one. I was practically half-asleep when I wrote this.**

**Scratch that. Last chapter was fucking awful. I mean, Riza was hysterical, and acted on impulse. I, being a stupid idiot, forgot to explain her thinking and why she was so panicked.**

**(And yes, I know it's repetitive. My writing style is just like that.)**

**Also, if you a have a problem with virginity being mentioned, out. Out, right now.**

**Ever read any stories where Riza and Roy have sex, but Roy is so drunk he forgets?**

**Yeah... sorry to throw this at you unexpectedly...**

* * *

Riza could smell something...

Awful.

Her nose wrinkled, the stench invading her sense of smell. Her whole body was stiff.

She moved her arm, slowly, and blinked at the drifting sensation. Oh, right.

_I think I'm still in the bathtub._

She inhaled sharply, identifying the metallic-y scent of blood.

Crap.

She sat up, her entire backside sore and swollen.

_Aww, shit. I might get an infection or something! Lucky I heal faster against fire._

She hoisted herself over the edge of the tub, mainly using her legs to propel herself out.

Her head was throbbing.

She limped/hobbled over to the shower on the other side of the room. (Seriously, a huge bathtub, a shower, and like, four different full-length mirrors in one bathroom? How much money had Roy felt the need to burn when renovating his house?)

She stripped, turning the shower on full blast: ice cold. (Ha ha, very funny. She was taking a _cold_ shower, I get it. Too bad she's not Roy...)

Before stepping in, she turned to examine the addition to her array.

It was breathtaking, in it's own way.

Heavy red marks, crossing and entwining with the more recent already-fading pink lines. Arching, twisting in an enchantingly haunting pattern.

She blinked.

It's almost... beautiful.

True, it was fire alchemy. Then, she'd gone and used that alchemy to further vandalize her flesh. (But, y'know, vandalization with fire.) She grinned before hopping into the shower.

_IT"S COLD!_

She stiffened, arching her back as the cold water rained down on her sensitive skin. After a few minutes, she felt her headache lessen, and memories of the night before became less fuzzy and vague.

She slammed her palm into her forehead, the _smack_ resonating through the room.

_What the hell is wrong with me? Why couldn't I have just hidden the notes? Oh, right. Because I'm an **idiot!**_

She let the cold water pound down on her back, and forced her hand out to twist the handle to the hottest setting.

Screw the numbing cold water. She wanted heat.

It was tortuously hot, but Riza relaxed into the scalding water like it was nothing.

And the pieces began to fall into place.

It was like a hangover, a seriously intense hangover. And the worst part was, she couldn't even blame her actions on alcohol. She remembered finding the diagram, and what it was intended for. She remembered running in, intent on burning the paper, after the information had been transferred safely on her back.

Her plan had been carried out successfully.

_But... Why did I do that? I could've just hidden the stupid paper__._

She was already in the shower. Might as well start actually washing up.

She massaged Roy's shampoo into her scalp, letting the scent encompass her. It smelled familiar, like home.

In all honesty, Roy _was_ her home. Her own was nothing meaningful to her. Just a place to sleep and eat.

This house, the one she'd been in for less than a week, was more home than her than her house.

Because Roy was here.

And then it hit her, like a brick wall.

_I didn't want Roy to ever have to worry about it. _

_I thought that if I took it, and hid it on myself, I could ensure that no one would see it. Or, I could limit who would see it._

She let the soap completely wash out, untangling her golden hair with her fingers. The heat didn't feel so wonderful anymore. All she felt was regret.

And stupidity.

God, she was such an idiot.

She hit herself in the forehead again, doing absolutely nothing to ease her migraine.

Hey, at least her back didn't hurt anymore.

She stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself.

_Huh. That wasn't such a big deal. Don't know why I was so worried._

Turning in the mirror, she lowered the towel just enough for her full back to be revealed. She thought to herself,

_Does it actually work?_

Riza secured the towel.

She wrung out her wet locks over the sink, water dripping down the drain.

Filling the bathtub with water, she rinsed it out multiple times to be sure that all the blood was gone.

She picked up her soiled clothes, throwing them in the trash. She wiped her hands, proceeding to thoroughly wash her hands. (Several times, actually.) The door leading to Roy's bathroom swung open, as Riza forced her foot against it. Quickly, an outfit was chosen from her clothes (the ones from her own home) and thrown on hastily.

When the door leading into the hallway was opened, a sleepy Colonel was revealed.

He was swaying on his feet, one hand on the doorframe. She grabbed him by the shoulders, supporting him all the way to his bed. Her back still hurt like you wouldn't believe, but she wouldn't let that cripple her. He crashed, not wasting any time in getting comfortable.

The covers were over him, and he pulled Riza in, tucking her into his chest. Damn, even when he was sleepy he had reasonably good reflexes.

"Umm Roy? It's morning already. You gotta wake up."

He moaned into her (thankfully clothed) back.

"I kept waking up last night. Kept having nightmares." His muffled voice warmed her skin. She smiled, reaching back without looking to stroke his had. Her other hand went over his, the one on her stomach.

He was too cute.

"Care to enlighten me?" Riza asked in a soothing voice.

He shook his head against her shirt.

"Please," she coaxed, turning to face him.

"We were back in that warehouse..." he hesitantly began. "And, that man- Peter- was waving the gun around, So I tried to take it from him and pushed his arm. I set it off by accident and you were in the way..." he trailed off, knowing that Riza could figure out the rest.

He swallowed, remembering the awful dream. When he finally looked up to her eyes, they shone with unshed tears. His voice was hoarse when her began to speak.

"I shouldn't have told you that. Now I'm kinda embarrassed that I did," he admitted. "I mean, you don't ever seem to have problems like that, and I feel like such a weakling. I mean, I really am useless now and I-"

She put a hand on either side of his face, ready to disagree with him. He squirmed away, trying to hide his expression. His hands flew to his face, covering pretty much everything but the nose. Riza's fingers were then on his, pulling his hands down.

Desperately, he threw his head to the side, not wanting to share his pain with her. He buried his face in his pillow, like a pouty child. She rolled her eyes.

He was being ridiculous.

_Well, it's not like you weren't being irrational last night..._ The little voice in her head spoke up in Roy's defense.

Riza couldn't very well disagree with that.

She snaked her arms around his waist, pulling him towards her. He didn't resist, but still made no move to venture out of his 'hiding place.'

Riza wasn't having any of that.

He was stomach-up and pillow-free with very little effort on her part. She was leaning over him from the side, looking at his face.

He looked ashamed.

"Are you okay?" Riza asked, ignoring the increasing pain. Roy was her priority.

She would endure pain to help this man until the day she died.

"I'm sorry," he rasped through tears that had begun to fall from his eyes. "When we found the scene at your house, and there was all that blood... I just can't forget about it. That tracer in your car, that was the thread I was clinging on to. And even that was a long-shot. At the warehouse, I still can't believe we all made it out of there. I can't help imagine what might've happened..."

Riza wore an amused smirk, and Roy couldn't understand the reason behind it.

Roy rambled on.

"I keep seeing it. When I sleep and you're not there, I watch you die. Before, I sometimes had nightmares like that. But know that I have so much more to lose, it just seems so much scarier."

Her silence even seemed amused.

"...So there's a tracer in my car?"

Roy blanched. He'd forgotten about that little detail. The first thing that came out of his mouth didn't help his case much.

"I swear, it was only for emergencies!"

Riza laughed, her giggles echoing out into the hall.

(In the kitchen: Maes, paused eating his breakfast, and scrambled to find his camera.)

Riza collapsed on the bed next to Roy, as she folded in on herself. Roy's eyes widened in alarm as she began to wheeze. Even through her panting, Riza couldn't stop the snickers escaping her lips.

The pain was excruciating.

But she just couldn't _stop_.

She was curled up under the sheets, her lungs aching and her face positively glowing. Roy was truly concerned now.

"Seriously, dude, there is no way in _hell_ you are that funny."

Roy turned his head to the door, the expression on his face captured perfectly onto Maes' camera.

And then Maes began to laugh almost as hard as Riza was.

"Your face! HA!" (Imagine the expression in FMA: BROTHERHOOD when Roy heard Havoc talking over the phone. Y'know, when he thought he'd be talking to an official from Xing or something.)

Maes frowned, looking down at Riza, who was still cracking up on the bed.

"Dude, I think you broke Riza."

Roy stood next to the bed, accompanied by Maes.

"I-"

He didn't get to finishing the thought.

Havoc charged in, holding a fork. (Very threateningly, I might add.)

"You broke Riza's WHAT?!" Havoc stormed over to the very confused Colonel.

He pushed Roy against a wall, his very intimidating fork gleaming from the lights overhead.

" I SWEAR TO GOD, IF YOU SO MUCH AS TOUCHED MY LITTLE SISTER-"

"What? No, no, no no. I didn't... I mean I would never- well not _never-_ I want to but- Wait, no, I didn't mean it like that! I mean, yes, I _do_ want to and I hope I do someda- Wait, no, that didn't come out right either... I mean, I wouldn't, not with you guys still in the hous- STOP IT! STOP PUTTING WORDS IN MY MOUTH!" Roy yelled, grabbing his hair as he tried to figure out _what exactly_ he meant.

"You're doing that all on your own, man. And not very well, I should say," Maes muttered, pitying the man who would receive Riza's wrath when Havoc backed away.

Turns out, Roy didn't need to worry about that.

Havoc looked over his shoulder, his gaze landing on the officer howling on Roy's bed. He frowned, his fork-wielding hand falling to his side.

"Hey, what did you do to Riza?"

Roy shrugged, feeling utterly confused. Havoc seemed to see his genuine helplessness, and released the front of his shirt.

Maes shook Riza gently.

"Hey Riza, you okay?"

"Yeah," she responded finally having broken out of her 'trance.'

"Sorry, Roy was just being a typical guy."

"And that would mean...?"

So Riza told the story. Which resulted in Havoc breaking out into very undignified snorting, and Maes guffawing on the floor.

"That was the sorriest excuse I've ever heard!"

"And Roy," she said turning to him. "Just letting you know that I heard what you said."

Roy choked.

Rebecca came strolling in.

"So, I heard Roy broke Riza's-"

"I did not!" Roy exclaimed defensively. "Why does everyone come barging in here thinking-"

"Thinking that you took Riza's virginity?" Rebecca cut in, causing Havoc to sharply inhale, and sending Maes' camera clattering to the floor.

"Geez, do you have to be so blunt?" Kain had somehow entered the room without anyone else noticing.

The whole room jumped.

"Where the hell did you come from?"

"Well you see, for a long time my mom told me that a stork left me on my doorstep. But then I got to grade 7 and..."

"That's not what I meant!" Roy snapped. Falman sauntered in, followed by Breda.

"Y'know, we heard Riza telling you guys what Roy said. Colonel, I never realized how shameless you were."

"Oh, great! Any reason you're all in my bedroom?" Roy asked to the crowd currently gathering around his bed. Clearly, they were all making themselves comfortable.

"How did it go from Riza's untaken virginity to how children are made?" Maria asked, having entered the room through the bathroom.

"Well, I mean..."

"Will everyone shut up? Seriously guys, calm down!" Maes chastised the room, though he himself was still enjoying the scene.

"It's not like we didn't learn anything new here. I mean, Riza's still the virgin, Roy's still a shameless pervert/undetermined stalker, and Havoc's the over-protective older brother." Maria reasoned, slapping Roy on the back.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Riza asked, not knowing what Maria was implying.

"Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with being a virgin," Maes soothed, patting Riza's head.

Riza snapped.

Well, _exploded_ was more like it.

"I"M NOT A VIRGIN!" Riza shouted, exasperated. Her eyes widened comically, and she slapped both hands over her mouth.

The whole room went silent.

Eight pairs of eyes were on Riza.

"..."

"Did you just say..."

Maria 's surprised gasp almost immediately turned into coughing.

Havoc fainted.

Breda waited patiently for about five seconds before slapping the unconscious man. He woke with a start, laying back on the floor in relief.

"You guys would not _believe_ the nightmare I just had," he said with a shudder.

"Sorry to say, it was no dream," Roy said under his breath.

Riza wasn't a virgin.

And clearly Roy hadn't known about it, meaning it couldn't have been him...

So who...

"I'm sorry, but did you just admit to the whole team that you're _not_ a virgin?" Rebecca asked, bewildered.

Riza's horrific expression was something Roy had never though he'd live to see.

But he had questions before he could dwell on that.

And he could tell everyone was thinking the same thing.

"When did you even have time to have sex without me knowing?"

"Yeah, when? I mean, you two are together like 90% of the day, if you don't count when you're asleep. And for 5 days of the week! Sometimes even 6!"

Riza was (attempting to) stall for time, as she reflected on that night.

_Yep, he wouldn't remember anyway. _

_Geez, it's a wonder how he gets home from the bar without me. If he can't remember that night in Ishval..._

"Riza, _now,_" Maes stated, leaving no room for disagreement. He wanted to know. Now. Partly because he was concerned for both Roy's sanity, and partly because Riza wasn't the type to have sex with a stranger.

But also, his plans for them to be married in the next year might have to be completely rethought!

"Umm... the last night in Ishval?" Riza scratched the back of her neck as Maes did a spit take.

With his actual saliva.

"I'm sorry, I thought you said-"

"Ishval. You heard me right."

The whole room sat in stunned silence.

"So, it was someone we know. Wait, please, please, _please_ tell me it wasn't Kimblee," Roy pleaded, seeds of jealousy being planted in his head.

"What?! Ew, no, that's just... Ugh, how about _no,_" Riza shuddered, trying to get the idea of sleeping with Kimblee out of her head.

Dear god, she feared she would be stuck with that notion for the rest of her life.

Just like that night had been burned into her brain.

Roy, the idiot, had gotten himself completely and utterly drunk.

And had gone to Riza's tent.

And had then found Riza.

Undressing for bed.

Also, under the influence. (It was their last night in Ishval. Alcohol being passed around wasn't a surprise.)

Needless to say, things had 'escalated' from there, and when Riza woke up that morning, the one detail she could recall was falling into her makeshift bed with the man she'd loved since she'd first met him.

Luckily, Roy had absolutely no memory of this night.

As far as he knew, Riza had found him, totally plastered, and let her sleep in her tent; end of story.

Riza had never though much of it. It had been meaningless, just a stupid night of coping with the loss and the celebration of finally getting to leave. And it obviously had meant nothing to Roy; which Riza had no problem with. He couldn't remember a thing.

And of course, she couldn't tell him about it. How does one even start that conversation?

"Why would you do that?" Roy asked, pain breaking through the disbelief for a second. "Why would you just give yourself away some slut?" Roy's word were like a slap. Riza reeled back, obviously hurt by his harshness.

He froze, knowing he'd practically just dug his own grave.

In the moment, it had sounded good in his head. Too bad the real world didn't work like that.

"Shut the fuck up," she spat, knowing full well that their first fight was about to set a record. "You don't know anything."

And with that, she stormed out, head held high as her resolve slowly began to crumble.

"I'm sorry!" He cried, as his two friends kept him from following.

"I didn't mean to!"

* * *

Roys backyard was _huge._

He owned a lot of land, and his backyard seemed to look over a majority of it.

Riza sat in a patch of flowers, looking at some of the blossoms that had already died. Other still flourished happily, their pink and white blossoms slightly cheering Riza up.

_I wonder..._

Riza tried to bring the flower back to life.

Really, really tried.

But for some reason, it just wasn't working.

Until Riza frustratedly crumpled a living petal in her fist while trying to resurrect the dead plant.

One, just one petal on the flower had brightened from a withered grayish-brown to a lively white.

And in her hand, lay a dead, lifeless part of a flower.

Just the petal.

And so Riza killed flower after flower, resurrecting one for every one that she killed.

_Equivalent exchange._

So life really couldn't be created.

But, it could be transferred...

* * *

"I didn't mean to," he repeated over and over again, his mantra haunting his every thought.

_I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I'msorryIdidn'tmeanto-_

"Roy!" Falman bellowed from across the room, where he was seated. Roy ignored him, continuing his pacing around the house.

"Where'd she go?" He asked Havoc, who was seriously concerned at this point. "I gotta go find her. I gotta find Riza. I need to say sorry." His eyes were frantic, flittering about the whole room.

Havoc roughly grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him with all his might.

"Roy, buddy, go to sleep. We'll get Riza"

"No, I gotta-" Havoc hated to do this, but it was the only way. He punched Roy in the face, hard enough for him to fall to the ground, exhaustion finally taking over. He was dead asleep before his head hit the ground.

Falman helped Havoc get Roy in bed, and the two men began to talk as they settled in front of the two doors leading out of his room. Roy was going to sleep.

"Where do you think Riza went? Thin she'd okay?" Falman asked, careful to keep his voice as low as possible.

"I don't know. I really don't know."

* * *

Riza wasn't stupid enough to leave the property.

Maes knew that.

So when he found her in a corner of Roy's vast backyard, he wasn't caught by surprise.

She was sitting in a patch of flowers, about half of them wilted. He didn't find this strange. Recently, Roy had been a bit too busy to worry about the state of the vegetation in his yard.

If he hadn't been so relieved, he might've noticed that the dead flowers and living ones were separated very distinctly.

But he was more worried about her feelings than some flowers.

He crouched down, knowing that they couldn't be seen from the house. She needed to be away from Roy for a while.

She was still crying, though as the tears made trails down to her chin, she made no noise.

She sat with her knees up, leaning up against a willow tree.

She looked lifeless, leaning against that tree as she gazed thoughtfully at the flower in her hand.

He settled into the grass next to her, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"You don't have to pretend," she said in an emotionless voice. "I know you were thinking it too." He simply tugged her closer, somewhat happy that he could play the role of her big brother.

"I wasn't," he promised. "And you know Roy didn't mean it like that."

"What other way could he have meant it?" She asked as she buried her face in his shirt. He shushed her, looking down at the woman who was looking more lost and scared by the second.

"He wasn't thinking. You know how Roy is. He was just upset that you-"

"Had sex? In Ishval? Even though I told him I've loved him since before then? Take your pick Maes. I've made so many mistakes, and he has every right to be upset with me."

He gave her a sad smile, knowing that self-hatred was churning around inside her. And for some reason, it was all her fault. Because in her eyes, having your boyfriend call you a slut was obviously put you at fault.

Besides, he had a feeling that there was more to the story.

"He was just upset at the thought of you with someone else during Ishval. And it's even worse, because he probably knows whoever it is. Same with me. But it was years ago, he hadn't made any move towards making you his, and he shouldn't be upset with you. Though, I'm sure if her ever finds out who it was that took advantage of you then, he'll cut off his-"

"Maes!" she exclaimed, feigning a scandalized look. He grinned at her, happy he'd lifted her spirits at least a little bit.

"He didn't take advantage of me. Sure, it was meaningless and it still is. But that does mean I fell into bed with some guy. Even though I was drunk, doesn't mean I had sex with a stranger. I knew him, and I trusted him. I still trust him. I regret it, though, not as much as I should."

Maes gave her a look, one that was clearly skeptical.

"So, you trusted the guy, had sex with him while somewhat in your right mind, but it still meant nothing. And to make matters worse, you _still_ trust him, and don't really regret it. I sure hope you have a better explanation for Roy, because that just might make him feel worse," he warned her, thinking of how devastated Roy would be.

"Yeah."

He stood, agitated.

"Jeez Riza! Do you even realize what you'll do to him if he hears that explanation? God, it's like you don't even care! I thought you loved him, but if you're still thinking about this 'mystery man' from the past, why are you with Roy? Are you just playing with his heart? is this some sort of game to you?" Maes demanded, finally standing up for his best friend.

"At least tell us who it was! Who is it that still seems to hold power over your heart?!"

She mumbled something, looking down at her knees.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't quite hear you!"

Wow. Who knew Maes had such an explosive temper?

"It was Roy," she repeated, looking back up at him. She squared her shoulders, looking right into his eyes.

Confession time.

**"It was Roy."**

* * *

**Okay, forget everything I said at the top. This was probably the worst chapter. Anyway, I'm sorry to drop that on you out of nowhere, but I didn't want to go into the 'life-alchemy' thing just yet.**

**Besides, the concept of Royai having forgotten sex seems to be a popular theme. **

**So, life can be transferred from one thing to another. Riza did that with the flowers, as you saw/read. The same principle applies to human lives.**

**(But don't tell Riza; she doesn't know that yet.)**

**Remember the whole "Because what could be worth a human life?" thing from the intro? Well I was thinking and I thought: "Oh, maybe another human life...?" I don't know. Probably not. But I needed a storyline, and this is what I came up with. **

**If you have any thoughts to share, questions to ask, or just feel like hating on this story, leave a review! I'd love to hear anything you have to say!**

**Sorry for ****this,**

**-Pyro**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or a****ny of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.**

** So, hi guys.**

**My ****friend officially started dating my crush-of-three-years. That's why this chapter took so long. Sorry.**

**Thank you:**

**anya . solovey**

**nandini . chandra . 5 **

**Lock . lady ****(Sorry, my computer has a virus: it automatically added the spaces. Can't figure out how to fix it.)**

**DaPandaGirl**

**Please review, I'd love to hear what you guys have to say! Even if it's bad.**

**I also apologize at the words/language I use to avoid having to change the rating to M.****  
**

**If anyone is still out there, thanks for reading, and I'm so very sorry.**

* * *

Maes wasn't moving.

And Riza was steadily growing concerned.

_Is he even breathing?_

She'd watched his face freeze as soon as those words had come from her mouth.

In that moment, she had felt a huge weight lift from her shoulders.

_I don't think I've ever been bold enough to admit it out loud, _ she though to herself as she warily watched Maes.

She'd been expecting this reaction.

However, she hadn't expected her long-time friend to stop breathing altogether.

"Maes!" she said sharply, as his face began to turn an alarming shade of red.

He inhaled, and Riza sighed as his face returned to its normal hue.

His breathing was shallow, as he continued to gaze at her.

His blank stare was slightly creeping her out, as she waved a hand in front of his face.

"Umm, hello? Anyone there?" He dropped down on the grassy floor, slumping into the tree. He took off his glasses, covering his entire face with his hand.

"What do you mean it was Roy?" he asked through clenched teeth.

_It's not true. It's not true. It **can't** be true!_

_Roy would do that. Roy would not do that Riza. Not in Ishval. He wouldn't do that. My best friend would do that to his girl. He wouldn't just do that to her. _

_He treated her like nothing._

"Maes, are you okay?"

"He wouldn't do that. He could not have do that to you." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than anything else.

"My best friend, the man you love, **cannot **have done that with you, and then act it like it was nothing! He would not do that to you and throw you away like some girl! He couldn't do that to you! Tell me he didn't!" He pleaded, tearing up.**  
**

Riza hugged him, letting him plead in denial.

"How hard was it, living with that?" He asked her once he'd finally calmed down.

She smiled.

"At the time, like I told you, it hadn't meant anything. To this day, it still really doesn't. I mean, yeah, we were drunk, and I wouldn't willingly fall into bed with just anyone. But we were drunk as fuck, and we were still coming down from the high of being sent home. He doesn't even remember, that's how intoxicated he was. It was a stupid one-night thing that might still remain a one-night thing-"

"One-night thing? I'm sure Roy is going to, ah... change that," Maes was embarrassed, and Riza could tell.

"Maybe. Maybe not. He might not forgive me when he realizes what I've kept from him. He had every right to know, but I didn't tell him." She sighed. "How do I tell him, Maes? What do I say? He was so angry with me, and I hate seeing him like that."

Maes sighed.

"He was just jealous, Riza. That's how any man would have reacted, reasonable or not."

Riza ran her fingers through her hair.

She inhaled deeply, Roy's shampoo calming her down.

"He'll hate me," she said in a broken voice. "He'll hate me, and I'll have to leave, because I can't live seeing him everyday without breaking."

"You're being ridiculous. And pretty stupid too. Riza, c'mon. I though you were smarter than that. He loves you. And Roy of all people shouldn't have a problem of your past sex life. He had a track record of his own you know. Even though he paid off most women to fuel his reputation-"

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

Maes backtracked quickly, knowing that subject was one Roy should open up on his own.

"Nothing, nothing. Just ask Roy."

Riza eyed him suspiciously.

"What about the fraternization laws? What happens then?" She asked all of a sudden. Maes' spirits dimmed; that subject had been one everyone had been tiptoeing around recently.

"Me and Roy? Can we do this? Rebecca and Havoc? I know you see it. They could very well be the newest happy couple by the time this is over."

He rubbed his chin.

"I don't know yet. But we'll figure it out. I promise I'll do whatever I can," he said solemnly.

An idea was dawning on her, as she considered the worst possible outcomes.

She knew of a certain someone who would be more than happy to help her. Someone with a cross-dressing habbit.

_Now that I think about it, I haven't asked for a birthday present in a few years..._

* * *

Roy woke to Havoc poking at one of the many heaps of clothes that were strewn across the floor.

Roy stumbled out of bed, accidentally knocking Havoc over.

"What the- Roy! You're awake!" Buddy, how's your head?" Havoc asked, looking up at the officer currently resting on top of him.

Roy suddenly blinked, noticing the intense headache he had.

The smoke drifting up from Havoc's cigarette wasn't helping either.

"Oww... damn, what happened to my head?" He asked, taking on a whiny tone.

"I hit you. You wouldn't shut up about Riza."

Roy ran to the door, which happened to be blocked by Breda.

"Riza? Where is she? Oh God, I have to find her! Where is she?" Breda put a hand over his mouth before Roy exhausted himself again.

Breda removed his hand from his lips when Roy's tongue touched his fingers.

"Dude! Gross!"

He shook off his hand.

"Yeah. She's with Maes. She was hiding out in your freaking _massive_ backyard."

Roy slapped his forehead.

"I knew I forgot to check somewhere!"

Havoc rolled his eyes. Of course that was what he said first.

"So, where is she now?"

"In your kitchen. Talking. With Maes." Havoc thought for a moment, before adding: "Oh, she did make a phone call earlier..." He trailed off, trying to recall if she had mentioned whom she'd been speaking with.

No such luck.

"Not sure who she called through."

Roy didn't think much of this.

Breda stepped aside, knowing that Roy was calm enough to handle seeing her.

Roy ran past him, uttering a grateful "Thank you" as he dashed out the door. Breda smiled and Havoc used two fingers to take his cigarette from his mouth.

"Oh, he is so whipped."

* * *

Riza smiled as she began sifting through the photographs that had finally been delivered.

Maria sauntered up to her from behind, tapping her shoulder.

"You okay? Need me to kick Romeo's ass for you?" Rebecca asked, jabbing a manicured finger at a picture of him.

Riza shook her head, flipping to the next photo.

"Nah, it's okay. He wasn't out of line or anything. I'm not upset," Riza answered.

Rebecca blinked, and spun Riza around to face her.

The kitchen chair swiveled, almost throwing the famous sniper out of her seat.

"What?" Riza asked her, holding a hand over her racing heart. "You trying to give me a heart attack?"

Rebecca had quite progressed that far in their conversation yet.

"_He wasn't out of line?_" Rebecca echoed, dumbfounded. "Riza! He called you a slut! To your face! With the whole team watching!" She waved her arms around wildly for emphasis.

"You're possibly the most stubborn person I know, especially with that man. But when it comes down to 'who's at fault,' you have absolutely no backbone! What is wrong with you?" She cried, throwing her hands out in front of her.

"That's what I said," came and amused voice from behind her. Rebecca spun, finding a very smug Maes.

"Finally, someone who's actually sane!" Rebecca exclaimed, giving Maes a hug.

In the spit second where her back was towards Riza, and Maes' mouth was concealed by her hair, Rebecca took the opportunity.

_"So who was it? Is Riza okay?"_ Rebecca whispered.

Pulling back, Rebecca smiled.

"See! He agrees with me too!"

Riza looked at her friend suspiciously.

She seemed a bit too cheerful.

"Riza, can I talk to you?"

And there stood Romeo himself.

"Oh! I forgot! I left my uh- my underwear in the guest bathroom! Maes, come with me!" She didn't wait for an answer.

Rebecca began walking towards the door, dragging Maes along.

Once out of her line of sight, she began the interrogation.

"Spill. Now."

* * *

Riza couldn't look into Roy's eyes.

_I thought I was ready for this!_

She didn't **want** to see the hurt she had caused in his eyes. The sadness, the anger.

However when he tipped her chin up, she didn't see any of those things.

He was remorseful, but obviously happy to see her.

His eyes lit up like those of a gleeful child.

"I'm sorry," he began. "I din't mean it. I swear, I didn't mean it. Riza. I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"It's okay," she said softly. "You had every right to say those things. I shouldn't have been so angry."

He gave her an incredulous look.

"Are you kidding me? Riza, I was a jerk! Don't just sit there and take it! I was wrong, and I was a complete and utter asshole!" He protested.

"I should have told you."

"But it wasn't any of my business! I was a jackass about it too!"

"Roy, all those years ago-"

"Stop it. I don't need you to tell me just because I asked. Maybe you can tell me when you're ready, but you shouldn't have to talk about things until you're ready."

"Let me finish. It was-"

"Riza, I don't need you to tell me. I was pushy, and I-"

"It was you!" She burst out, suddenly wishing she'd eased into that a little better.

He shook his head.

"I'm sorry, what? I wasn't listening," Roy said, at least having the decency to look sorry.

"You."

"Yes, what? What about me? I'm a jackass? Moron? Terrible boyfriend? Awful person overall? You can say whatever you want Riza. You deserve this."

"I LOST MY VIRGINITY TO YOU!" Riza yelled out, fed up with his rambling.

She was panting from the effort that had gone into forcing out those six words.

Roy was staring at her like she'd just sprouted a third eye.

"Excuse me?" He spluttered, knowing there was no way in hell that Riza had just said-

"Yeah. You. Happy now?" Riza said, ashamed, as she flopped onto his couch.

"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd never forgive me. I'm sorry." She sniffled, still not looking up to face him.

"But for what it's worth, I loved being your girlfriend."

"But you.. you said that it was the last night of Ishval..."

His brows furrowed as he tried to solve the puzzle now that all the pieces were laid out in front of him.

"And I woke up in your tent with a massive hangover the next morning..." His eyes widened in horror.

"And you said you had a pounding headache too!"

Riza nodded.

He had it all figured out now.

"Please, Riza, tell me I didn't do that to you!'

Riza looked confused now.

_Was he... apologizing?_

"Riza! Answer me! Did I..."

He swallowed roughly.

"Take advantage?"

_Is he really? No, he's not... _

Roy was on his knees, holing her hands as he cried, trying to resist the urge to throw up.

_I could have done that to Riza. I mean she was amazing even then but I wouldn't-_

"Roy, babe, please stay with me. Wha- are you crying? What's wrong? Roy?"

Roy's brain was straining itself as he tried to recall every detail from that day.

His thoughts were whizzing around in his mind, banging at the inside of his skull.

Blurry images came back from that night, fuzzy recollections and odd sounds and smells.

_Roy had been wearing his favorite boots._

_Well, favorite out of two, anyway. _

_The black boots he wore were fitted to his __feet, after the many times they'd been used. _

_Riza wore a relaxed smile, as she downed the rest of her drink. _

_Of course she'd be a happy drunk. _

_She'd gotten drunk long before he had, but not overly, I-can't-walk-on-my-own drunk._

_She'd retreated to her tent, saying she was going to go to bed. _

_And then after several beers later, Roy's vision had gone out of focus, and his feet were a blur beneath him._

_And then the rest was a mystery._

Well, not anymore.

"Look, Roy, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I know you might not ever want to see me again, and I understand that. But please, what's wrong?" Riza asked, hating how helpless she felt.

Roy couldn't concentrate.

He couldn't feel Riza's hands on his fcae, or the hot tears tracking down his cheeks.

But he could feel the guilt, swallowing him up.

_I did it. I did that to Riza. **My** Riza. I yelled at her, for something **I **did. _

"I'm sorry," he sobbed. She pulled him to her, tracing his jawline.

"Roy, what on earth are you going on about?"

"I'm sorry for what I did. For that night. I shouldn't have..." Roy kept apologizing, sniffling every so often.

Sadness grew inside her.

_I knew he'd regret doing **that** with someone like** me.**_

"I know. I get it. I mean, I'm not exactly like other girls, and I know you wouldn't ever want to do that with me so I-"

"That's why you think I'm upset?" Roy asked, suddenly very, very angry. "_That's_ why you think I'm crying?"

He was honestly wondering how someone so wonderful could be so oblivious.

Riza happened to be thinking the same thing.

"You heard me earlier, right? When I turned into a blubbering mess, trying to explain myself to Havoc? Why on earth would I lie?" He asked, recalling the awkward moment when he'd confessed that he wouldn't mind, err... _'sleeping'_ with Riza.

"Then what the hell are you so upset about?" Riza asked, her nose scrunching up, adorably.

_"_I did, uh- _that_ to you, and I can't even remember it ever happening! What kind of sick bastard does that? Besides me, anyway. I mean, Riza, why haven't you shot me yet?"

Riza pulled back to laugh, the corners of her lips turning up into a smile.

"Because, silly, it didn't mean anything! I mean, if it was going to be anyone, I'm glad it was you. You shouldn't be upset that you don't remember. The only reason _I_ know about it is because I woke up next to you. Well, more like _under_ you, but that's not really important. I was drunk, so were you, and it just happened."

_Under me...?_ Roy thought to himself, trying to comprehend the idea of him falling asleep _on top of_ Riza.

He winced, slightly embarrassed at the notion.

"I promise, I'll make it up to you," he swore.

And then he leaned in, and crashed his lip to hers.

Her lips were a lot softer than he remembered.

"I won't ever be good enough for you, but I promise I'll try to reach that goal."

Riza didn't bother responding to that, knowing nothing she could say would remove the silly notion from his head.

"So, we can still... be together?" She asked, throwing her arms around him again.

"Yeah, dummy," he answered, rolling his eyes.

He ruffled her hair, letting his hand rest on top of her head.

"I'm still sorry for doing that," he grumbled a minute later. She batted his chest, sticking her tongue out at him.

"You're a ridiculous man, you know that?" Riza said as she snuggled deeper into his chest.

"And you, are a very stubborn woman."

* * *

"Riza! Someone's called for you!" Maes bellowed a few days later. He held up the telephone as she came to a stop in front of him.

She winced, snatching the phone from his hands.

_I swear, my eardrums are throbbing._

"Really? I got a phone call, so you immediately yell like your hair is on fire?" She scowled at him, grinning after to show that she was kidding.

And when she actually set her head ablaze, Maes was almost positive it was out of spite.

As he fled to the next room (presumably to get Roy) Riza smothered the flames, turning her attention to the phone.

"This is Lieutenant Hawkeye speaking, what's the issue?" She began, slipping easily into the tone she used in the office.

"Why, Rizzy, that's a very stiff way to greet your grandfather, isn't it?"

Riza sighed, leaning against the wall.

Her grandfather had already mentally exhausted her twice in the past two days.

The first story seemed to rile him up a bit, as he heard of the recent events regarding Riza's kidnappers. When he'd heard about the tattoo, both flame and life, it was clear that he was confident she could take care of herself.

The real chaos had come the next day.

She'd made the mistake of mentioning her blossoming relationship with Colonel Roy Mustang, The Flame Alchemist.

"I told you not to call me that," she said, pinching the bridge of her nose. Her migraine was returning from the night before.

_"I knew it!" He had proudly proclaimed. "I knew that Mustang fellow was the one for you! Even when I offered to marry off my unnamed granddaughter to him, he refused. I knew he had a reason! And that was way back, before I was Fuhrer!"_

_"Excuse me?" Riza had chimed in, "You did what?"_

_He laughed somewhat nervously, knowing that he probably should've broken the news to her in a nicer way. _

_"Well, I wanted to see if he was really interested in you, so I gave him a little test."_

_"How did you even know about me and Roy?" She asked, wondering how many people had realized before she had. _

_"I heard some fellow, Hughes I believe his name was, talking about it in the restroom."_

_Figures. _

_"I'm sorry, darling, I just needed to see if he was worthy."_

_He sure didn't sound very sorry. _

_Best to let it go, rather than attempt to extract a straight answer from this man._

_For now. _

_"Well, thank you for at least looking out for me."_

_"Alway, dear girl. Always."_

And the dull ache at her temples had returned.

"Aww, but Rizzy," her Grandfather whined. "You don't like any of the other names that I've given you..."

Riza groaned, recalling some of the other names that he'd used to refer to her over the years.

"Disliking the nicknames 'Breezy Reezy' and "Lizzy Bear' are perfectly reasonable responses!" She hissed into the phone, having seen Breda rounding the corner.

"So," she said, as he walked safely out of hearing distance. "Why are you calling _this_ time?"

"I just wanted to check up on my darling granddaughter," came his reply. Riza mentally cursed herself for picking up the damn phone.

"But... I did come across some evidence recently..."

"Tell. Now," Riza commanded in a scarily-serious voice.

Grumman, (seemingly) not at all intimidated (which might have been pretty good acting on his part) began to explain.

"The contact Lucy and Peter had, delivered a note to their old hideout this morning. Seems he hasn't realized they've been dead for almost a week now."

Riza wasn't at all sensitive towards the fact that both offenders were dead.

"He, or rather, 'the contact' didn't show any signs of noticing that there was anything different. I had a trusted officer retrieve the message and bring it to me. I could have it delivered to Mustang's place tomorrow, if you'd like."

"Yes, please," she responded gratefully. She had to be somewhat respected to her own grandfather...

"Oh, and Riza?" He added last minute, as she had started to put down the phone.

"Yes?"

"I expect to meet this man before the wedding, understand?"

"WOULD YOU QUIT IT?" Riza shouted, slamming the phone down on the receiver. (Imagine what Roy did every time Hughes called to tell him to get a wife.)

Riza held her agitated position, hearing the stifled laughter behind her.

When two strong arms entwined themselves around her waist, she knew for certain it was Roy.

"What was that all about?" He asked. She turned her head to the side, reading the mirth in his eyes.

"You're making fun of me," she complained, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Well, Maes tattled on you for quote unquote 'scaring him,' so I decided to come check it out. And I must say, I was certainly not expecting this."

Riza kissed him full on the lips, pulling his head closer.

She hung off of his neck, nuzzling her nose with his.

"So, what did you actually do to Maes?" Roy asked, his curiosity peaking. Riza shrugged nonchalantly.

"Eh, I set my head on fire."

Roy gave her an appraising look, trying to tell how serious she was.

When she didn't announce it as a joke, he whistled in disbelief.

"Wow. I thought for sure that you were kidding."

Riza shook her head.

"So, feel like telling me what that phone call was about?" Roy asked hopefully.

"Nope. Not a chance."

"Aww, c'mon Riza…"

"Nope."

"Not even who you were talking to?

"Sorry, but no."

"Please?"

"Nuh uh."

"Fine," He finished, giving her an exaggerated sullen look.

"Maybe I'll tell you. Someday," Riza added.

_When my nutball of a grandfather demands to see you, I'll tell __you then. _

* * *

"Hey Roy, something's up with your bathroom. Something in there smells god awful," Rebecca said as her nose wrinkled, remembering the stench.

"Yo Maes, c'mon, help me find what's causing the smell."

Arriving at the bathroom, Roy and Maes knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Jeez, what is that?" Maes said as he grimaced.

Roy made a face, heading over to the garbage bin.

He stepped on the pedal at the bottom, pushing the top open.

"What the heck is this?" He asked, holding up a bloody rag.

"Beats me," Maes answered, feeling as bewildered as Roy looked.

_What the hell is going on?_

* * *

_Ding Dong_

The doorbell's chime echoed through the house, putting everyone on high alert.

"I didn't know someone was coming to visit today," Maria said cautiously. "Wouldn't they have called first?"

Warily, Maes put down the box containing the sorted letters.

"I'll get it!" Riza declared from the other side of the house. "Gimme a sec!"

"It's okay! I got it!" Havoc hollered back, guns drawn.

Riza sprinted down the stairs, going down three at a time.

_I can't let them open the door. No, you idiots! Don't do it!_

Too late. Havoc swung the door open, whipping his two handguns right into... the face of the Fuhrer.

Each centered right under an eye.

Both guns dropped to the floor.

"Wha… What are you doing-" Havoc snapped into a rigid salute, shaking in his boots.

_Poor fellow looks like he's sweating bullets._ The Fuhrer noted with some concern.

"Sonny, are you alright?" The older man picked up the two fallen weapons, and handed them over to the wide-eyed officer.

"I think you dropped these," he said in a friendly tone, patting him on the back as he passed. "Wouldn't want those to go off by accident, now would we?"

As he moved past Havoc, whose hand was still frozen on the doorknob, Grumman took a second to wonder if all of Riza's friends would react like that.

"Hey Jean, who was at the- Oh, it's-" Maes' strangled voice came from the kitchen.

""Fuhrer, sir!" Came his salute.

The whole house seemed to come to a standstill.

"Did he say Fuhrer?!" Rebecca hissed question floated through the air.

And Riza suddenly decided it was a good time to fall down the second set of stairs.

Well, more like fate decided to screw with her day.

"Aww shit!" She cursed.

Her foot missed a step as she climbed down the stairs, totally throwing her off balance.

Even the crash wasn't enough to snap Roy out of his trance.

The Fuhrer was seated at a barstool in his kitchen.

Drinking a glass of milk.

In his house.

The _Fuhrer!_

_I mean, sure, we used to play a game of chess every so often, but that was in the office! Back when he wasn't the leader of the military!_

"At ease," said the older man said, raising a hand. "I apologize for dropping in so suddenly. I had another officer inform Lt. Hawkeye evidence would be delivered today over the phone. Though I'm not sure if they mentioned who exactly would be showing up here. Well, ta-da!" He cried, throwing his hands up.

_I'd better be careful to not say things I shouldn't. Rizzy might kill me. _

Good thing Grumman had decided to alter the story. Riza wasn't quite in the mood for committing high treason.

_And she would've done it too,_ He though nervously.

The Fuhrer downed the rest of his milk in one gulp, and stood from his perch on the high chair. The cup made a strange noise as it clinked down on the marble top. All officers stood at attention now, circling the higher-ranked man.

When seeing his expectant look, all arms were anxiously returned at there sides.

Rebecca, feeling the need to do _something, anything really,_ grabbed his empty glass and began to wash it in the sink.

"Umm, sir, if you don't mind my asking, why did you feel the need to drop this evidence off in person? Have you not fully considered the risks of coming into the public eye?" Maria asked, her concern slowly increasing.

Grumman made a somewhat dismissive gesture.

"Nonsense. I'd hardly call this private piece of land 'public,' my dear. This whole area is owned by this fellow over here," he explained, slapping Roy on the back.

"But other than that, I'd say that it was partly because of the sensitive nature of this right here." He pulled a simple envelope, out of his jacket.

"This right here, as explained to your Lieutenant, was delivered by a the regular contact. Lacey and Peter had regular visits from some man, older than the age of 40 at least. We have not yet opened the letter yet, seeing as that privilege rightfully belongs to you folks."

Roy glanced down at the envelope being offered to him. He took it, reading the print on the front.

"To my dearest," he read aloud, lips pursing in confusion. "What the hell?" Maes nudged him with his elbow.

"Go on, open it," he prodded. "Riza, I mean, Lt. Hawkeye," he hastily corrected, remembering that there was someone else in the room, "Wouldn't mind if you opened it. You are her superior, after all."

_You're her damn boyfriend, idiot. She doesn't care!_ Was what his eyes were saying, urgently.

"Call her whatever you want. The relationship you have outside of the office has no importance as of now."

Well, okay then.

Roy hesitated, before slitting the sealed opening with his pinky finger. (And might I say, he did a rather messy job.)

_"My dearest,_

_I got your message. _

_So, you captured the girl._

_Perfect. I must say, I am impressed. _

_I'll meet you in the cemetery, as we discussed at Christmas. _

_Bring the finished array. _

_Hopefully, this will be our last, and most successful attempt,_

_Daddy."_

Roy's face twisted into a strange expression.

Disbelief, confusion, incomprehension, and a little bit of irritation.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"And what array?"

Grumman choked.

"Ask Riza," he advised them. "Of all people, she would know the most about alchemy arrays."

Blink.

Drop.

And a piece of paper fluttered to the ground.

"What? Pftt… Riza? What on earth would Riza know about arrays? If anyone, it's be Roy, see, 'cause he's the Flame Alchemist. I mean, Riza? What…?" Maes trailed off, his rambling showing his desperation at keeping the secret.

"It's alright," he assured them. "I was recently informed of the unique 'gift' that Lt. Hawkeye carries. Needless to say, I have told no one else of this."

Well, this was an interesting development.

"Speaking of Riza, where on earth is she? She was coming to answer the door, but I beat her to it…" Havoc wondered aloud.

"So, what do you make of the other array? I still can't believe you let her do that to herself."

Grumman quickly backtracked, seeing their expressions and realizing the truth.

_She hasn't told them yet._

"What second array?"

_AWW, Rizzy would be furious if I told them!_

"Sorry, gotta jet. Nice, meeting you all. Hope to see you again soon!" And with a cheery (and somehow utterly terrifying) grin, he calmly walked out, making it clear he was _not_ to be followed.

"But wait, sir-"

"Tut tut. Sorry, I bid you farewell!'

And the door slammed shut behind him.

"What second array?" Maes cried, throwing his arms up. "What the hell is going on?!"

"If you would all calm down, I could tell you," came a smooth reply from behind them.

Riza was rubbing her sore leg, the result of tumbling down the stairs.

"I'm sorry," she solemnly apologized.

"I'm afraid I've been keeping quite a few secrets from you all."

* * *

**So, hi guys! Thank you all for taking an interest in my story, and thank you for all the comments. (SQUEE! I swear, I almost die of excitement when I see a new review!)Swear to god, you guys are the best! EVER!**

**Remember: feel free to PM me, ask questions, or criticize.**

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**By the way, not sure where exactly I'm going with this story. Or how long it's going to be.**

**Love you all SO much,**

**-Pyro**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or a****ny of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.**

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**Well then, the story goes on.**

* * *

Riza was in for it now.

Oh god, she was going to die at the hands of a hot-headed, dark haired woman who swore like a sailor. Of course, Riza could have easily broken free from her hold. If she hadn't been so busy feeling guilty.

Rebecca had stormed upstairs to Roy's bathroom, and came back with bloodly bandages. Bloody, bloody bandages.

She shouldn't have done that.

Not just the burning a new array into her flesh thing. The forgetting to dispose of the bandages was a stupid thing to do; she wouldn't deny that. But not telling Roy? Doing it in secret? By herself?

She was in the shithouse now.

_Now I can't even tell a little white lie and say it wasn't that bad. _Riza thought to herself, as strips of stained cloth were waved in front of her face.

And Riza would tell as many small-lies as she had to if it meant keeping the concerned look off Roy's face.

_I'm an idiot._

_I could've sworn it wasn't that bad__…_ Riza thought with a wince.

Rebecca impatiently tapped her foot on the hardwood floor, irritation levels slowly growing.

Riza raked her hair out of her eyes, securing her long locks in a ponytail.

"Fine. I'm sorry I hid it, okay?" Riza spit out, forcing her self to look at her nails. The floor, the ceiling, Rebecca. Anywhere _but_ Roy's face.

"Hid what?" Fuery asked, stepping out as he made wild arm movements "What, that you almost bled to death? That you had an injury from the tussle with Lacey and Peter? Jesus Christ Riza, why would you keep that from us?"

_Anywhere but Roy. Anywhere but Roy._ Riza desperately tried to keep her eyes and thoughts focused on Fuery.

"The box," she began slowly, "the one no one could open. There was a key, on Lacey's body when I killed her. I kept it. Why, I'm not sure, but it just seemed… _important. _I guess I should be glad that I did, because it was a perfect fit." She unfastened the simple piece of string from around her neck.

She held it out shamefully, offering it to Rebecca. She suspiciously snatched it from her grasp, and proceeded to examine the key.

"A key. For the box. That no one could open. And why did you feel the need to keep this from us again?"

"The Fuhrer told me to consider it." She said, her head hanging low.

_The Fuhrer?_ Maes' question seemed to be one that everyone was dwelling on.

"He said that I should open it first, then share it with you. But I saw what was inside, and I just-" she gasped, emotions overwhelming her. "I thought that I could save you the trouble. But I went too far with it, I-"

"Riza," Rebecca hissed, leaning in close. "What. Was. In. The. Box?"

Riza motioned her head towards the hallway on her left.

"Under Roy's bed. Check under the bed." Riza said, hoarsely, as she fell into a chair.

"No, first you tell me why you didn't tell me about this," Roy interrupted, shoving past Breda. He bent down, forcing her to meet his gaze.

She looked at him through her hair, as she began to tear up.

Not that he could tell, of course.

Meanwhile, Roy had never felt so useless in his life.

"Riza, the blood. Where did it come from?" He asked, looking her dead in the eye. "Lacey hurt you? Or was it Peter? I swear, if that son of a bitch was still alive, I would burn-"

"I did it to myself."

"And there she goes, blaming herself again," Falman muttered.

"I bled half to death in your bathtub a few days ago. I passed out from the pain and woke up floating in a mixture of ice water and my own blood he next morning. "

_1….2….3…._

"I'm sorry you did what?!" Roy asked, shaking her shoulders. He abruptly stopped when she winced at the sudden jostling of her back.

"What were you thinking? God, Riza why would you do something so stupid?" Riza bit her instinctive sharp retort back, knowing he had every right.

"I'm not going to apologize," she said. "I'm not sorry, and I'd do it again if I had to."

Roy's gaze hardened.

He straightened.

"Rebecca. Go get the box."

Rebecca scurried away, not wanting to further evoke the fury of the Colonel.

"Riza," he said, clearly trying (and failing) to appear calm. "What have you done?"

"I found it," she whispered brokenly. "The key."

"Yes, yes, I know already!" Roy said, exasperated.

_This conversation with her seems to be going in circles. _

Before Riza could explain that the stupid key wasn't what she had meant, Rebecca burst in.

Heaving, she lifted the solid, heavy chest onto the table. It landed with a _thunk, _heavy wood on polished marble.

The kitchen island seemed much smaller now, with a huge wooden box resting on top of it.

Roy stepped forward, and Rebecca wordlessly handed him the small key.

He straightened, hands shaking as he turned the key in the lock.

When he lifted the lid, he wasn't quite sure what the big deal was. Papers had been hastily stuffed in (courtesy of Riza, if you remember from earlier). Crumpled sheets poked out, and Roy snatched one out at random.

This one just so happened to be an early draft of the array. Fortunately for Riza (for this moment, she knew it was inevitable), this one didn't have the description, information, or research relating to the image as a side note. It seemed that this one was absentminded planning, a crude design. Probably the most simple, earliest design.

But even to Rebecca, who probably knew the least about alchemy, she could tell it what it was.

An alchemy circle.

Roy's eyebrows puled together, as he tried to decipher the problem laid out in front of him.

"Roy, trying and uncode someone else's research without at least a little of their previous work is next to impossible. You should know that," Maes chided.

"This is probably the most complicated thing I've ever seen," he said, just as Havoc's hand came out with another paper.

"This looks like another version of that," he said, holding the two designs next to each other.

"Yeah, except, this one looks a bit different." Roy noted. Havoc pointed to the top right hand corner. "And much, much more complex."

"Look at the date! See, this one is a later model,. And look! They're numbered!" Havoc said as he took the other page from Roy's hands.

Each page had a number on top, starting at twenty three and going backwards. Old numbers had been crossed out, sometimes more than once on specific papers.

"So they were probably counting down to one," Fuery muttered, his reasoning making more than enough sense.

"Let's see if we can find the latest one," Havoc suggested as he arranged papers on the floor in front of him.

Riza was mentally bracing herself.

Luckily for her, no one was paying attention.

This was the first productive lead they'd gotten so far. They were desperate for information.

Havoc was quickly smoothing out papers, scanning them, and sorting them into piles.

He muttered to himself as he did, alarming Roy with how uncharacteristically efficient he was being.

The others were pushed aside in a neat stack.

As he worked, Riza recognized a sheet he'd put aside.

Lines of text, in tiny, neat printing.

_A rough draft of the instructions._

Which… no one was taking the time to look at right now.

There were at least twenty different versions laid out on the floor when Havoc was done. Some were copies, reproductions of the authentic ones.

All lined up in order, the most recent one holding the most detail.

Havoc moved aside, giving way to Roy. The Colonel quickly began to compare the research 'notes,' trying to spot the differences.

"See, this symbol, this one isn't in the one before it. But they took it out in the next one. So it must not have been contributing to the information. But this line, once it's added in the fifth diagram, it's kept the whole time. See?" He asked, pointing to the various locations of the mark on different papers.

Maes scratched his head.

"I don't get it."

Roy sighed.

It was like trying to explain why breathing was important.

"Don't you get it? It means that this symbol, whatever it means, is a crucial part of the array. They wouldn't have kept it so many times if it wasn't essential!"

He was greeted by blank looks.

Gah, this was getting him nowhere.

"Why would one tiny symbol matter?" Falman asked, whose area of expertise was _clearly not_ alchemy.

Maria even rolled her eyes and smacked him upside the head.

"Even I know it matters, idiot!"

She paused for a second and shrugged her shoulders.

"I mean, I don't know _why_ it matters, but I know it does!"

Roy groaned, his hand flying up to smack his forehead.

"Really? If a person's _entire_ life's work is compacted into a single, elaborate array, how much could one symbol be worth? A month? A year? Maybe even a decade!"

Havoc whistled.

"Wow."

Roy grinned.

_Finally. We're getting somewhere. Baby steps, but steps nonetheless._

"So… that tiny symbol is a ten whole years?" Havoc asked from the back.

Roy's grin melted into an exasperated scowl.

Idiot.

_God help me..._

"So what you're saying is that this thing could've taken a lifetime? Or maybe even more?" Kain asked, clearly lightyears ahead of the others.

Roy nodded, glad that someone was following.

Well, someone other than Riza.

Riza clearly knew exactly what Roy was going on about, and the look on her face proved it.

But… Roy was too upset to deal with her right now. Though, not upset _with_ her. More at himself.

"Look at the side notes. Some are just useless babble, but others are somewhat useful. See-"

_How am I supposed to help you if you won't let me in?_ He thought to himself as he talked on. _I was supposed to be your protector. But I'm failing you, over and over again. Do you even know what I'd do if something bad happened to you?_

Riza was thinking in pretty much the opposite direction.

_He's gonna explode. He'll explode, and I'm gonna cry again, because it's Roy. And then he'll get upset t me crying like a baby. And it's all because I'm an idiot!_

Yeah. The self-hatred was strong in these two. And slight idiocy.

Riza cringed at the thought, silently crumbling to pieces inside as she thought of the worst possible outcome.

_I could lose Roy!_

_I mean, dealing with flame alchemy in one thing, but the secret to human transmutation? The key to the biggest __taboo?_

The worry was eating her up, and though he was slightly pissed at her, Maes was worried.

"Riza, any chance that you'd like to explain this thing?"

In all honesty, Riza hadn't noticed the numbers. She just quickly located the one on the newest-looking paper.

"Hey guys," Havoc called out just as Riza had opened her mouth to speak.

"Anyone notice anything off?" He asked, gesturing to the mat of paper currently spread on Roy's floor.

Rebecca glanced at it for a moment, trying to spot the error in the pattern.

"I don't see it."

Havoc made an impatient noise as Maria pointed at number fourteen.

"This one is on a different grade of paper?"

"What? No! God, who even notices something like that?" Havoc asked, throwing his hand upwards. "It's so obvious!"

Havoc showed them some thing, a motion that Riza couldn't see from her chair. They all crowded around the kneeling figure, packing in to see what was happening.

Besides, even if they'd all parted to show her, her elbows were resting on her knees, and her head was being propped up by her clenched hands.

"Oh, wait… Is that…?"

"Did we not notice that?"

"Good eye buddy!"

Riza spoke up from the back.

"There's no number one, I'm assuming."

All eyes were on her.

"How did you now that? You can't even see it!"

Riza grimaced. She looked up.

"Lucky guess," she said in a monotone voice. They didn't believe her for even half a second.

"Don't give me that crap Riza. I can assume that you've already looked in the chest. Where's number one?" Maria asked.

"I burned it," she replied with no emotion. No regret was evident in her response.

"Or, at least, I think that the paper I burned was number one. It looked more intricate than those alchemy marks, I can tell you that."

"What is wrong with you lately?" Rebecca asked, obviously bothered by this.

"Ever since a few days ago, you've been moving funny, you're hiding things from us, and you're a lot more sensitive. Girl, what the hell is going on? Your first time was with Roy-"

"Excuse me, she did _what?"_

"And you just decided to mention it yesterday-"

"No, sorry, I'm really gonna need an answer for that question I asked earlier."

"After all these years. And of course the Fuhrer show up and just so happens to know about your back-"

"Someone answer me!"

"Jean, shut up for a moment, would you?!" Maes yelled impatiently, annoyed at his outbursts.

Jean shut his trap, though he was obviously going to bombard his 'little sister' with questions later. And then maybe kick Roy into next Tuesday.

"I've been moving funny?" Riza asked, having caught that first part.

"Yeah, sometimes when you sit, you stop for a second before using your arms to pull yourself up. You need to see a physical therapist or something?"

Havoc nudged her in the elbow. She shook her head.

"Sorry, wrong time. But Riza, what's really going on? What was the array even for? And why does the Fuhrer seem to know everything that's happened so far?!"

Riza ignored all questions and concerns regarding their leader. And planned to keep on doing that, for as long as she could.

"It was too dangerous to keep lying around on a stupid piece of paper."

"That wasn't the question."

"I had to save it, just in case. Whether it was for the greater good, or the Elric brothers, I don't know."

"Riza…"

"Human transmutation."

"Oh, ha ha. Riza, this isn't a time for jokes."

She blinked at him, daring him to say that again.

Roy stumbled back, crashing into the table.

"No."

"I wish that I hadn't, that I'd thought it through a bit better. I acted on impulse, and it was a rather foolish and thoughtless decision."

Roy held his head like it was gonna explode.

"For real? Like 'bring back the dead' transmutation?"

"What have you done?" Maes asked in horror.

"Does it really work?"

"I don't know," she lied through her teeth.

_It's not really lying… I know it works on plants, and animals too, but on humans? It's all theoretical._

_Even though it probably does work. _

No one had gotten past the surprise of her 'great reveal' to think that far ahead. No one had figured it out yet.

Riza took a pen, and drew several curves and lines over the most recent paper.

"There. That was number one."

"Did you memorize that?" Maes asked skeptically. "That seems a bit complicated to know off of the top of your head."

Riza pulled her shirt over her head, and halfway down her arms as her answer.

"Keep your clothes on! Save that for Roy!" Fuery cried, shielding his eyes before someone *cough cough* Roy *cough cough* or Havoc *cough cough* punched his lights out.

He was not going to die from seeing a superior officer half-naked.

She turned, before Havoc could make some sort of sexist comment.

Even though the back of her bra was in the way, it was clear that an addition had been made.

"Riza, did you… draw that on your own back? How on earth did you manage that?"

"Roy, tell them."

"I don't know."

"Take a closer look. Tell them."

With much effort, Roy stood, and traced the thin line curving away from her shoulder blade. The precise mark were in perfect position, never once deviating or bending the wrong way.

_It couldn't be… These are too.._

"They're burns," Roy said flatly, feeling tears blur his vision of yet another burden on the back of his Riza.

"She burned it into her skin."

He didn't bother looking up to see the reactions. He didn't care.

"The piece of paper, on the floor. It's by your foot, Jean. Read it," Riza instructed.

And as he read aloud, the horrible reality was exposed.

Riza pulled her shirt back on, and turned to face him.

"Damn it Riza!" He snarled, backing her up against the wall. "Why would you do this?!"

"It was a stupid risk! It was reckless, and so idiotic! Did you not even stop to think of the consequences?"

She bit her lip, hard enough to draw blood.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again. I will do whatever it takes to keep you from harm. That is what I promised to do until you make it to the top, and even after that, if I'm needed."

"But what about you? Fuck it all Riza, I love you! I hope you know that. You don't seem to have gotten that into that stubborn mind yet! Hell, I've even said it! For some stupid reason, you don't seem to believe me! I'll do anything for you! But it hurts. It hurts so much, watching you struggle so much because of me! I can't just stand by and watch as you try and take on the whole world to keep me from getting hurt. Riza, how could I live with myself if something happened to you?"

She let him crush her in his arms, holding her between his chest and the wall. Looking over his shoulder, she watched the rest of the group smiling, despite the horror at her actions.

"How you could do that to me?" Roy asked with a whimper. "Why does this keep happening?"

She let a few tears trickle down.

_I hurt him. _

_I hurt him. _

_This wasn't supposed to..._

_I'm sorry. _

He felt something wet fall into his hair and roll down to his forehead.

He looked up, annoyed at himself for giving her a reason to cry.

"Hey you," He said, his tone an obvious attempt at cheering her up. "I'm sorry for yelling. You're not allowed to cry anymore. Okay? That's an order."

She hugged him tighter, wondering how in the world she'd gotten such an amazing person in her life.

She was rather alarmed as Rebecca opened a notebook she'd pulled from the open chest.

A journal.

Lacey's journal.

Oh fuck.

"That's Lacey's," Riza said, having accepted that they'd all figure it out eventually. "And from what I can tell, she has some mental disorder. Read it, and you'll understand."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Riza had a soft smile on her face, and Roy had a raging...

Headache. (Gotcha!)

His head was going to explode from all the stupid, repetitive questions regarding basic alchemy.

Riza held a cup of hot chocolate between her hands, and couldn't be happier.

Havoc had taken the news pretty well when he'd heard the whole story. Yeah, he'd broken Roy's coffee table, and was now being held in the corner for 'time-out,' but it could've gone worse.

Riza had decided to let it slide when Bread had slipped him a twenty when they'd thought Riza wasn't looking.

Joke was on them. Riza Hawkeye saw _everything_

"So," Rebecca came over with a lazy smile, and draped her arm around Riza's shoulders. "Everything seems to have worked out nicely for the perfect couple."

Riza scoffed.

"I am not perfect. Have you even seen me? I mean I'm-"

"Strong, loyal, fearless, have perfect aim, and really very gorgeous on an unfair level?" Rebecca cut in, suggesting qualities as she counted off on her fingers.

Riza gave her an expectant look. Rebecca rolled her eyes.

"C'mon Riza. You always do this. You never see the best in yourself! I mean, I'm straight, and I can admit that you've got curves. You _really_ have curves. And besides, I know you're not perfect. No one is. I never said you were."

"But-"

"I said you were the perfect_ couple._ Colonel-hothead certainly has his flaws, I can tell you that. I mean he's arrogant, cocky, irritating, useless in water, has an over-inflated ego-"

**"**Rebecca!"

"But when you two are together, you just seem… perfect."

Rebecca was gushing happiness.

She smiled into the distance, imagining a possible future for the happy couple. Riza in a pretty white dress, being hugged from behind by Roy. He had his hair combed back, and she wore a dazzling smile.

"It's so cute!" She squealed.

"What is?" Came an amused voice behind her. Rebecca spun on her hello, fearing that Maes had caught her looking like an idiot on camera. Again. Just this once, fate was on her side.

Jean.

He wore an cheeky grin, clearly chuckling at her antics. Rebecca put a hand on her hip, sauntering closer. She leaned in.

"Oh, y'know, j_a_ust this person…. That I know…." Havoc raised an eyebrow at her, realizing what was going on. Riza faked a gag and rolled her eyes behind Rebecca's back.

"Like what you see_, Havoc?_" She purred.

He smirked.

_The shameless flirting is making me sick._

Riza began to retreat to the other room. But before she did….

She shoved Rebecca forward, briefly connecting their mouths.

Havoc's eyes bugged and a strange, squeal-like noise came from Rebecca.

They jumped apart, as if they'd been shocked.

Riza calmly walked away, her steps echoing through the hall.

"You'll thank me one day," she called over her shoulder.

Rebecca pressed a hand to her lip, blushing.

Her and Havoc looked over at one another, wondering what on earth they were supposed to do now.

Meanwhile, Riza smirked as she entered the kitchen.

"What's the reason behind that smile?" Maes asked suspiciously. Riza poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Oh, nothing. Just doing some meddling of my own," Riza said, taking a sip out of her mug.

Maes' eyes lit up.

Kain walked in, and easily recognized the looks on their faces.

"Can't you guys ever take a holiday? Jeez, what did you do now?" His voice had a nervous edge to it.

"Nothing." Riza said innocently.

Kain blinked, and Maes craned his neck back to look at her.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing, it's just, uh… You sounded a lot more… feminine," Kain explained, trying to put it into words that would not result in his death.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"No! I mean, I'm not saying that you're _not_ feminine, because you obviously are. I mean, duh, just looking at you- No, I didn't mean it like that. I meant, usually you're too busy protecting the Colonel or too preoccupied trying to save his sorry ass to act any different. I mea, 90% of the time when I'm around you, you're trying to keep him and Jean in line," Kain hastily explained in a nervous stutter.

Riza relaxed, folding her arms to her stomach.

"Thanks Kain. You know, I think out of everyone here, you are the overall least-trouble some. You always apologize, and take responsibility for your actions."

"Hey!" Maes cried out indignantly. "I resent that!"

"You know it's true," Riza shot back. Maes considered the statement, before shrugging.

"Yeah, I guess so." He stuck his finger up to make a point.

"But, when I do something you deem to be wrong, it always turns out better in the long run! Most of my schemes turn out pretty successful. " He declared.

"Remember when I used to call Roy everyday, saying that he should find a wife? And he'd get so upset and yell 'SHUT UP!' before slamming the phone down? I pestered him so much, that he admitted he couldn't marry someone. When I asked him why, he nearly singed my eyebrows off! That's when I began to suspect that…." Maes began to lower his voice and finished.

"That he liked you. Like, _liked_ you liked you. I figured, who else could it be? It had to be you. Y'know, because of the whole 'fraternization laws' thing…"

Maes stopped, aware that he'd just stepped into sensitive territory.

Riza brushed that comment off, knowing it was easily rectified. In fact, it was probably being rectified at this very moment...

"Wait, _that's_ the reason Roy broke so many phones?"

Maes groaned.

"That's not the important part! This is just one of the many times where I was right! And, Roy had a huge thing for you, and everyone knew it but you! The whole office practically died laughing once you two left. He was such an obvious idiot!"

"I'm sorry, what?" Riza asked, bewildered.

"Haven't you seen him looking at you in the office? Why do you think he barely gets any work done? Most of the time, he's just being a lazy dumbass, but other times… I mean, usually he can work through the distraction, but some days, no way in hell."

"No kidding. The dude is totally wrapped around her pinky. I swear, he'd do anything for her if it made her happy. Maybe even give up his rank in the military if it meant getting to stay with Riza. Give up on Fuhrer," Kain commented to Maes.

Maes nodded in agreement.

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Riza asked, thoroughly confused.

"I mean, he loves me. I can't say that he doesn't, because at this point, that would be stupid. But his whole world doesn't revolve around me. I'm not 'his reason for living' or anything. Sure, I'm important, but not his 'bane of existence' or anything. He wouldn't just abandon his dream for me, and Maes, don't you dare correct me," Riza sternly added.

She glared at him.

"No. You're wrong," Maes warned anyway.

"Roy would give his life for you. Compared to that, what does a stupid title mean?"

"It's not the title that's important! It's the chance he'd be getting at fixing this country. He'd be able to help the Ishvalans. That's been his ambition ever since he joined the military. Thinking he'd choose me over that goal, that's unrealistic. I'll stick with him forever, I can assure you of that. And he won't get rid of me, I know that as well. And sure, Fuhrer Grumman it doing a decent job so far. That still won't change anything in his eyes. If he really did have to choose? I would beg him to make the better choice, and see to it that he did. Even if I had to do it against his will."

Shocked, Maes and Kain stood gaping at her lack-of-faith in her importance to Roy.

"If it would mean he has a better future, a bigger role in Amestris, then I would do it. Even if it meant giving him up. I would ensure he got what he always wanted. I might not be part of that picture, and I've already thought about that. I can't be selfish about Roy and his priorities. He is too damn important. I'm… not."

And unbeknownst to them, around the corner, that man stood hiding in the shadows.

At that moment, the man hiding in shadows with the dark hair and sad eyes swore to change her mind.

Even if it did mean giving up everything.

* * *

"Do you love me?"

Roy's question hung in the air for a second.

Well, almost a second.

"What kind of stupid question is that?" Riza asked, coming over to lean on his shoulders.

Roy was seated at her kitchen table, bent over some report that had been sent for him to take care of.

Her stomach pressed into his back, as he gazed off with a doubtful look on his face.

"Of course, you idiot. We've gone over this, haven't we? What's gotten into you?" Riza asked, concerned at his less-than-confident strength behind his voice.

"What did you expect me to say? Roy, you're acting strange. Did I do something?" Riza asked, turning him towards her and putting the back of her hand against his forehead.

"Wow, you're burning up," she said, feeling the intense heat radiating off his skin.

"Well, now you and me are just the same," Roy joked. He stood, only to sway slightly his feet and sit back down.

"Roy, you seem kinda stressed. Is everything alright?" Riza asked, filling a glass with cold water.

"I'm fine, I promise," Roy said, gratefully taking a sip of water.

In reality, his head was spinning, trying to recall something he could've done to instigate her idea of his priorities.

Why...

What...

But she thought….

_I mean, being the Fuhrer would be… amazing. I'd be able to achieve all the things I ever dreamed of. But without Riza, would I even know the first thing about being responsible? What to even do with that power with no one to keep me in line? If I make a mistake, who'd be there to shoot me in the back, and draw me back from the edge? I wouldn't have everything I wanted if Riza wasn't there. _

The wasn't really even a question about it: Roy was _not_ taking position of Fuhrer. Not without Riza behind his back.

Or by his side.

Grumman could carry out his ideas. Roy knew for a fact that the (slightly unsettling) old man agreed with his values. He would happily put his ideas into consideration.

_I am not going anywhere without Riza. _

Riza took the now-empty glass and placed it aside.

_But that won't change the fact. _

_I can't be with Riza. _

_I keep trying to put it off, but we all know it's inevitable._

_When all of this settles down, and we return to the office, our 'unproffesional' relationship will be forbidden._

_What am I supposed to do?_

* * *

Four more days.

In just four days, everyone was going back to their respective homes.

It would be a bit strange. Adjusting back to normal life would take time.

Roy and Riza wouldn't live in fear or Maes' dreaded camera. (Not that they really cared anymore. It was kind of expected.)

But everyone was a bit preoccupied at the thought of Roy and Riza _not_ dating.

Not holding hands, not ignoring their feelings anymore. Riza not blushing when the Colonel smiled at her, or Roy not openly showing the goofy smile directed at his Lieutenant.

Though, the command Grumman had called in just the afternoon was of great concern as well.

_"Three hours, all of you. In the office, full uniform. No excuses. And Lieutenant Hawkeye, I suggest you confiscate your superior's gloves before arriving."_

That was the call Maes had received before the head of the military had promptly hung up.

So here they stood, pondering the future of Roy and his girl. Riza could feel the slight weight of Roy's gloves in her pocket.

Something weird was going on.

Something big.

* * *

"This man is the one who devised the plan to kidnap Riza Hawkeye. He instructed Lacey and Peter Stoker to carry out his will. He was captured and detained this morning at 8:00. This is Samuel Stoker, father of the two," Fuhrer Grumman informed the shocked crew.

They were alone, besides the figure in the corner.

In the interrogation room, a man radiating pure hatred was chained to the table.

He was broad-shouldered, with long, lean fingers. He was scowling at the group, and seemingly out of nowhere, he lunged at Riza.

The chains jerked his wrists, yanking him backwards and to the ground.

He snarled, jumping back to his feet.

"You!" He snarled. "You ruined everything! I almost had my wife back, and now I've lost my children too!"

"Then maybe you shouldn't have treated them like slaves!" Riza snapped back, bouncing forward. She almost immediately composed herself, stepping back.

"We were so close! Years of tracking, watching, and research, all wasted because of you! We hired photographers, private detectives, every expense was paid in effort to find your father's research! Lucky for you, your father was clever. We had a list of candidates, and you were the least likely, so you stayed at the bottom. We lost track of a few of the girls, you included. I mean, who thought a weak, stupid, little spoiled girl would actually join the military?" He scoffed.

Roy whipped a hand to his forehead.

He did _not_ want to go there.

Riza smiled, an emotionless gesture.

She drew a chair up to the steel table, the scraping sound bouncing off the walls.

She slammed her palms down on the table.

"Well, at least I'm not an idiot. If you were really half as smart as you think you are, you would've realized the truth about my 'piece of the puzzle. I mean, you kept me under surveillance for more than half my life, and you never realized that the information I carry has another purpose."

He blinked.

"You little liar. You shouldn't bluff with no cards, sweetie. I would have known if you-"

Riza set her hands on fire and roughly grabbed his wrists.

"Believe me now?" she asked, throwing his hands down into the table. Hard.

He screamed in pain, trying to yank his wrists back.

"You tried to take me from my home, hurt my friends, and for what? A woman who's been dead for decades? Those who have passed on should stay that way. That's not how life is supposed to work. Resurrection is a power that belongs to no one."

Roy was about to step out to grab her hand, when the old man stopped him.

"No. Let her. She deserves at least this much."

"I hope you find a way to pay for what you've done. You killed my friends, threatened the people I consider my family, and violated my privacy for years."

She was losing her temper.

This man had angry red marks circling his wrists, an trophy of sorts that would stay with him for a long time. Forever, even.

"Your father was a clever one, you know. He made sure to hid his research a place that only his student would ever see. He trusted that you'd be a good judge of character, and you'd only show the research to someone you deemed worthy. I'm right aren't I? See, I might not have figured out your true power, or found a way to make the symbols work, but I've figured you out."

"Shut it. I'm warning you, playing games with me is a dangerous game," Riza growled.

"Oh, are the big guns out now? WELL TOO BAD! You can't scare me! I've been to hell and back! You want to know something? I watched you, For years on end, when it was my turn to keep you under surveillance until it was time to bring you in, I followed you. Closely enough to hear about you and your precious Roy, the man who you'd die for. Even more pathetic; you didn't expect him to do the same. Am I really the idiot here?"

He was mocking her now, trying to get a rise off of her.

Sad to say, he was working.

"Aww, is the brave little soldier embarrassed because her feeling were so easy to read, a stranger picked up on them? You're nothing more than a lovesick girl with a crush, just waiting for your heart to be broken. I'm just lucky that my little girl isn't a wacko and has her priorities set straight."

Awkward silence dragged on...

_Lacey wasn't a wacko…? I'm pretty sure she qualifies…_ Havoc thought doubtfully.

"Umm, I hate to interrupt but," Grumman piped in from behind Riza, next to Roy and Breda. "Lacey's dead. Oh, and that Peter fellow as well. Lieutenant Hawkeye and Sergeant Major Fuery took care of them."

"Oh, I'm well aware of what she did to my children. Whether your team helped you or not, that doesn't change the fact that it was you who foiled my efforts. You're gonna burn in hell. You're a sinner, just like the rest of us. Just like me"

"Me?" She laughed, pointing to herself. "I've committed no crimes against anyone, except for those who have wronged me, or anyone else I care about. I can't just idly sit by as they struggle on. That's what you expect me to do? If you think I'm a sinner, call it as you please. But I know I've done the right thing, protecting good people."

She pushed her chair back, letting it fall over.

"I don't care what you think of me, or my morals. I am proud of what I've done, and I will not ever repent for my actions," Riza spit at him.

Sha walked away, handing Roy his gloves. He pulled them on, no hesitation.

Oh, he was gonna make Samuel pay when Riza was out of the room.

_He's gonna regret making Riza so upset. _

Roy cracked his knuckles.

"Understand that, bastard," Riza said as she stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

And then poor, poor Samuel began to scream.

* * *

**So, Roy's not exactly in a merciful mood...**

**Anyway, thanks for reading guys, I really appreciate it. I'm sorry this chapter took so long, and it's really crappy. It's just, I've been really freaking out about shit at school, and...**

***sigh***

**So, that's why this chapter was crap. That, and I was too tired to write this week. **

**Clarifications:**

** -Alphonse has his body back [it's after Brotherhood, remember…?]**

**-Edward is still a State Alchemist, though he can't use alchemy. He just does research, and Roy is still his commanding officer. **

**-Roy and everyone else will eventually learn of Riza's relations to the Fuhrer**

**-Yes, This story might be coming to an end in the next few chapters. (Or, this might actually be the second to last chapter.)**

**If you have any ideas for my next fix, I'd be happy to hear. I was thinking of doing a Soul Eater one next, but I'm open to suggestions. **

**If you're bored, have questions, or just wanna talk, my computer is checked every 10 hours. **

**No, really. I don't have a life outside this computer.**

**PM me. I hate my real friends.**

**See ya,**

**-Pyro**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or a****ny of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.**

**So...**

**I had to rewrite this chapter. FOUR FREAKING TIMES.**

**I didn't like the way it sounded…..**

**I am so sorry for this whole thing. But I want to say thank you to some of the really dedicated readers, and I hope we can still keep in touch or whatever. If- no, _when_ I start a new story, check it out, and review, because I'm gonna miss you all.**

**This chapter is dedicated to:**

**KittypowerFTW**

**greekkittyartemis**

**blades**

**Stardot**

**Bladez**

**I hope you guys realize that the review and the favorites/follows I ****receive are the reasons I keep writing. I know I haven't communicated with all of you guys individually, and I hope I eventually get to. If anyone has any questions, please don't hesitate to PM me, or ask in the reviews.**

**Even though this story might be ending soon, I've decided to not finish it until my next fic get off the ground**

**Seriously**** guys, don't be shy. I don't give a crap if your question is stupid as fuck, or if it's just nonsense.**

**(WARNING! This chapter sounds kind of sadistic in the beginning, but I didn't mean for it to sound that way.)**

**I feel kinda bad for torturing Roy so bad… (But only emotionally, don't worry.)**

**Oh! I almost forgot to mention! I won't be posting for at least two weeks. I'm going back to the Philippines (just to visit), and I might not bring my laptop. I'll keep writing, I promise, but I might not be able to update for a little bit.**

**And just clarify, if you want me to respond to you, please_ PM_ me, or leave a review saying you guy want me to start responding to your reviews in the next chapter. If you _PM_ me, I will definitely respond to you. (Except, maybe not December 22nd to January 5th. I'm not sure yet.)**

**NOTE: Seriously guys, I NEED new ideas for my next fic. if I don't keep writing, I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with my life.**

**I also need votes: who wants the fic to end immediately, or carry on for a bit. Since I've tried to incorporate the sequel idea I had (the life alchemy) into the story already, that's not a problem anymore. **

**I need help from you guys. **

**Keep calm and quit while you're ahead. **

* * *

Roy was seriously pissed.

This guy had really upset Riza, automatically making it his problem.

But then Rebecca had come back with a report from the bathroom saying that she thought she'd heard sniffles, Roy had upped the pain.

Riza?

Crying?

_Not on my watch._

The second those words had reached his ears, he'd totally lost it. He'd stopped with the fun and games. A line had been crossed, and Roy took it a little bit more than personal.

Both hands, snapping overtime to release Roy's fury, which took the form of flames.

Maes had stepped in eventually, concern for his friend's mental stability winning over the urge to torture this man. Roy had grudgingly agreed, reeling in his temper.

_You are soooo lucky that I have a conscience. And Riza would be so upset if I actually killed you__…_ Roy though glumly.

Fine. Roy's merciful side had taken a holiday.

Roy hit him in the back again, and heard a groan. For such an old guy, he had a really high tolerance for pain.

_And in the middle of the torture session, he had the nerve to pass out!_

Roy was a bit huffy. He'd gone to all this trouble, and now there was an unconscious heap on the table. He impatiently tapped his foot on the floor, waiting for him to regain consciousness.

Maes held out his hand, expectantly. Roy slouched further against the wall.

"Do I have to?" He whined.

"Yes, Roy. Riza wouldn't want you to burn this guy to death. Even though he totally deserves it, I have to make sure you don't leave this building single," Maes said after a sigh.

"Fine," he grumbled as he handed the rumpled pieces of cloth. "I won't burn him anymore…"

Roy strode over to the table.

He drew his fist back, and before Maes could react, he slammed into Samuel's face.

"Wake up! Swear to god, you're already testing my patience!" Roy suddenly felt his arm being held back as he brought it back again.

"Hey Sparky! Calm it down. Riza's gonna kill you, the Fuhrer is over there, and I am personally a little freaked out by this side of you. What happened? You were totally fine ten minutes ago when the interrogation started." Maes said.

"I think he made Riza cry. I'm not letting him get away with it," Roy said, his eyes smoldering.

Maes sighed, smiling.

"I didn't really know if it would ever happen. Even in my wildest dreams, I didn't think you'd get it this bad. You are totally, completely-"

"Whipped! Yes, I get it! Fine, I'm whipped!" Roy cried out, much louder than he had meant to, stomping his foot. "I understand that already! Stop with the 'whipped' already!"

Snickers were heard from the corner where Fuery and Havoc stood. The Fuhrer, having heard noises, and unsure of what exactly had been said, turned his attention to the two officers bickering by the prisoner.

"….I was going to say 'in love' but if you wanna interpret is as whipped…"

"Gah! It's like I'm being reminded every two seconds! I KNOW ALREADY, RIZA HAS ME TOTALLY WHIPPED!" He yelled, immediately slapping two hands over his mouth.

The whole room went silent.

_Shit…_

The Fuhrer had this weird smile on his face, one that Maes didn't quite understand.

_Is he preparing to fire both of them? Shit, holy shit, dammit what am I supposed to do?_ Maes thought, panicked. _They can't lose everything now!_

Grumman straightened. He waved over a guard through the glass window in the door, and instructed him to watch the prisoner.

"He is being admitted to prison for life. I've already arranged for transport, and he should be out of here in the next two hours."

He turned to the group. He then pointed a finger at Rebecca.

"You, go find Lieutenant Hawkeye. Instruct her to clean up and report to my office after you. And as for the rest of you…" The gleam in his eye made Havoc nervous.

"Come with me."

* * *

Roy was sweating buckets. The eight officers stood at attention in front of the Fuhrer's desk.

Mentally, he was preparing his resignation statement.

Yes, he would resign. For Riza. If it meant she could keep protecting the innocent, like she wanted, he would do it. Sure, he had planned on making changes that would better the country. But just this once, he could be selfish.

And even if it was wrong in the bigger picture, he would do it.

Riza wasn't going to be court-martialed because Roy. He would make sure.

It was his turn to protect her.

"I have recently become aware of a certain situation-" The Fuhrer started, not even finishing a full sentence before Roy interrupted.

He stepped forward.

_Here goes nothing._

"Sir, I know that you are well aware of my plans for this country, but due to recent events, I am asking you to carry them out. I know it's not the most dignified request, but if this is what I have to do save Riza the trouble, then so be it. I can safely assume that you have realized the truth about the nature of our relationship. My proclamation in the interrogation room most definitely gave us away, and I accept full responsibility. If it is my pride and reputation that has to suffer instead of her, I can live with that," Roy bravely said. He then visibly braced himself, ready to be fired on the spot.

Rebecca, having returned, sniffled.

_You picked a good one Riza. Lucky you._

The Fuhrer chuckled.

"I realized your feelings for her ran much deeper when you reacted the way you did to her storming out. Besides, back at the house, you seemed a little different than how you were back in the old days. Back when we used to play chess, remember?"

Roy nodded mutely.

"I am led to believe that your relationship is somewhat new, seeing that you seem a little flustered during your interactions. That, or you're just really not very good at long-term relationships. But that's beside the point. I see you care about her very much, and I think it is noble how you would step down for her sake. "

He then lent forward on his elbows.

"But this is not a matter that can be taken lightly. Something must be done, here and now."

He cleared his throat, watching Roy jump at the sudden noise.

_This young man has proved to be worthy to my Riza. but just one more test.._

"What would you give to keep you Lieutenant from legal trouble?" He asked.

"Anything, sir," Roy stuttered solemnly.

_Let's see how far he'll stretch._

"Even if it meant not being with her for a while?"

"I'm… I'm not sure I understand your meaning sir."

"I'll make a deal with you," Grumman began, leaning back in his chair. "I believe I've mentioned my granddaughter before. Tell you what, you date her _publicly_," he stressed the word, "for six months at the very least, and I'll make an exception for you and Riza Hawkeye. You both keep your jobs. But, you don't get to tell her _after_ the six months. You let my granddaughter break it off with you, not the other way around."

Roy blinked.

_Wait... what?_

"You 'spend one night' with her," Roy opened his mouth to refuse.

_What the hell is wrong with this guy? I'm not going to just jump into bed with some random __stranger!_

"You and Riza Hawkeye could get married, she wouldn't get arrested, and… I'll drop the fraternization law. For good."

Jaws dropped.

He stopped for a moment.

_One more term. If he says yes, just to save Riza, I know he's the one._

"And I'll see to it personally that you are directly handed the job as Fuhrer. And all the members of your team and anyone else you want," he swept his arm out in a grand gesture. "Will be working under you. They'll get higher ranking jobs, better pay, and you can live your fairy tail."

_No… Way…_

He pushed up his glasses.

"But if you refuse, or break my granddaughter's heart, you stick with your job, your title, and your right hand goes back to getting a public shaming and is stripped of her rank, and job." He then stuck out his hand to shake on it.

"All you have to do is date my granddaughter for a month, 'enjoy her company,' and Riza's free. Heart broken, but free. She'll work under you, if she still wishes to. You can start a new relationship with her six months from now. Your ego suffers the consequences from being dumped. What do you say, Colonel? Do we have a deal?"

Roy hesitated. He gave a small smile.

"Break her heart and save her from the shame and a terrible guy like me? I know she loves me, but I won't let her suffer that kind of abuse. I could give others in the military the chance to be together. Besides, she'd be upset if I gave up this opportunity."

"I don't really have to give this much thought."

He grabbed his hand and gave it a firm shake.

"You've got a deal."

"Tonight, I'm having a party. Everyone in the room in invited. After you are dismissed, you will return to your homes and get ready. it's a fancy party, don't forget. When Lieutenant Hawkeye reports back here after you've gone, I will inform her of the party. Dhe will be required to attend. Be prepared to meet your new girlfriend. And break up with your old one."

And with that ominous note, they were dismissed.

* * *

Riza came out from the women's room about 4 minutes after her friends had left the premises.

She knocked on her grandfather's door.

"They gone?"

"They've left. They're preparing for the party."

"What party?"

"Oh… I've decided to throw a celebration. I have decided… that it is time for your friends to find out about your family ties within the government," The Fuhrer nervously dais, choosing his words carefully as he went along.

_Don't blow it!_

"Yeah, it's going to be a fancy party. Dress nice. Now that I think about it; do you even own something appropriate for the event?"

Riza huffed.

"No, now that you mention it, I don't. But, if you'd given me some sort of warning, I might have been able to go and get myself one!"

"Now, now, no need to be testy! I took the liberty of purchasing one for you! I left it on your bed, in your newly re-done house!"

"I'm sorry you did _what_?"

"Nothing."

Riza rubbed her temples.

"By the way, I found out for sure that your Colonel loves you. I gave him a little test."

"What. Did. You Do?" Riza growled out.

"I just wanted to be able to assure you that he cares about you…"

"Yes, I already knew that! You didn't have to go and… Wait, you never answered my question. What did you do?"

"You'll find out later… That is, _if_ you come to the party. I know that look. You have now been ordered by a superior to attend this party. You have to arrive there before your friends, meaning you have approximately 3 hours. See you then."

Riza waved her hand, a dismissive gesture. Though, she knew that she would show up. Her grandfather was kind of a raging lunatic, but she loved him nonetheless.

"Oh, don't forget, I've been watching Black Hayate for the past week or so. You can pick him up after the party."

She walked away, after snatching the keys to his car that he offered her.

"Riza, do you remember that present your Catalina friend got you..."

"No way in hell."

* * *

Roy was starting to panic.

And began preparations for living the next half year alone.

He could imagine her face already, falling as he told her lies. Her crying, storming out, and refusing to ever talk to him again.

His face paled, as his vision swum with black spots. He stumbled, his hip colliding painfully with his open dresser drawer. He cursed, as the sharp pain compromised his balance. He dropped to his knees, holding the throbbing spot on his hip.

Clothes were strewn all over his room, his panic at the current situation making it hard for him to pick a suitable outfit. He stood, swaying on his feet.

The weight on his shoulders was slowly draining the life from him.

Looking down, he saw he was standing on a heap of clothes.

Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a duffel bag. It was nothing special, just a black canvas (or, whatever duffels are made of) bag with a zipper and two straps.

_Do I even own a duffel bag?_

He pulled the zipper down, and clothes came spilling out as her inverted it.

Clothes.

Riza's clothes.

This opened the floodgates.

He stood, pulling at his hair as he stomped into his bathroom. He shoved everything off the counters, hearing bottles break and plastic bottles half-bounce off the floor. He leant against the sink, in front of the massive mirror.

_I __CAN'T __DO IT!_

He slammed his fist into the glass. It shattered under his fist, and the skin on his knuckles broke. He held his hand to his chest, sobbing as he saw different scenarios cycle through his head. And every one of them ended the same way: With him angry, sad, and alone.

* * *

Riza looked absolutely...

Wow.

She had pulled the red silk gown over her shoulders, feeling the cloth pouring through her fingers. It clung to her figure, all the way to her hips, and then fell to (about) her knees.

She put up her hair, re-applied her lipstick, and slipped on her heeled shoes.

She looked _hot._

_I feel like an over-glorified doll._

She sighed, looking at the Christmas present she had left with the tags on and unused.

_I'm not gonna do it… I won't. Nope, no, and how about no?_

_But I'd have to dig all the way to the back of my closet! Everything else is in the wash!_

"Swear to god Rebecca, why did it have to be lace?!"

* * *

Roy was officially in hell.

His hands had been left with a tremor that refused to go away, whether he clutched them together or sat on them, he couldn't stop shaking.

He felt hollow and empty, nothing containing any meaning anymore.

The car jerked to a stop, and the two men rocked forward in their seats, and then eased back.

Maes kept one hand on the steering wheel, and patted Roy's shoulder with the other.

"Hey, it was a cruel thing he's making you do, but it was the right choice. And who knows? Knowing Riza's lenient tendencies towards you, she might take you back in with open arms."

"No," Roy shook his head, a slow, hopeless gesture.

"This isn't just another screw up in the office, Maes. This isn't me putting off my paperwork to the point of exasperation. This is real, and this is my fault. I chose the deal that's better in the long run. I think that it's proving to be living hell so far, but I'm sticking to it."

"…for Riza."

"You wouldn't have taken the deal if she wasn't involved, would you?"

He shook his head, and Maes heard a throaty, half-amused laugh.

"If I had to choose, I'd stay with Riza forever. I'd quit the military, pass on my goals as Fuhrer, and spend my life with her."

Roy sighed into his hands, knowing that he was coming very close to losing Riza. Just a few moments more...

And at that point, Maes noticed Roy's bandaged hands.

White gauze was wrapped around his right hand, right over the knuckles.

Roy was becoming fidgety, and nervously picking at the frayed edge of his bandages.

Maes pushed the car door out, and smoothed back his hair.

"Let's go. Time to meet the woman who's stuck with your sorry ass for the next six months."

* * *

in the garden, Rebecca was hanging off of Havoc's arm, clad in a fitted blue dress. Her hair cascaded to her shoulders in loose waves, and a pair of heeled-sandals were strapped to her feet.

She had her mouth right by his ear, as she whispered, "Do you think Riza's gonna be okay?"

They walked down a winding paved path that ran through out the grassy lawn. In the middle of the square area, a large stone fountain barely took up any space.

_Roy's place, compared to this, is practically a doll house!_

It was true. The Fuhrer's mansion was ginormous, dwarfing the Colonel's house in size.

Before Jean could respond, her toe caught under one of the cobblestones, and she stumbled forward. Havoc caught her wrist, and pulled her back. Knowing the Fuhrer was close enough to hear her, he mumbled just a few inches from her ear.

"I don't know."

The Fuhrer wandered away, whistling as her strolled through the garden.

_That man is a despicable human being..._

Rebecca and Havoc continued with their conversation, speaking in hushed tones.

"I'm a little bit more concerned about Roy. I mean, Riza's going to be crushed, but Roy's the one doing the crushing. He's gonna be utterly devastated."

Havoc glared at the lunatic as he greeted Maes and welcomed him into the garden.

And in tow behind him, was a very nauseated Roy.

* * *

_I'm gonna tell her._

He'd been thinking the idea over, going it over several times. He had finally come to the realization: breaking up with Riza would eventually kill him.

Literally.

Sonner or later, he'd lose the will to live, lose the incentive to keep going. What was the point anyway? Eventually, he'd stop caring about his duties of Fuhrer, and the rest of the world. He'd forget to eat, never sleep.

Or he'd accidentally get himself killed or shot without her watching his back.

He'd already totaled his right hand, and already didn't care.

_Though if Riza saw,_ Roy thought with a grimace _Riza would call me an idiot who is incapable of getting dressed for a party without assistance. _

She'd probably criticize him on being useless (though, she'd mean it as a joke). Then she'd rewrap his knuckles and feel him everything he'd done wrong.

Riza had saved his life more times than he could count. (Even though he was an incompetent idiot, that was a reasonably high number.)

He was going to tell her.

And then he was going to make her swear to tell no one.

Then she'd know it was an act, she might hate his guts, but at least she would know he really did love her.

As he saw it, there was no possible outcome that was worse than the alternative: actually hurting Riza.

He could _maybe_ survive the look on her face when he did it. He could _sort of_ handle her disgust at him. He could _almost_ survive dating the Fuhrer's granddaughter. For about half a day. If fate took pity on him.

But more than a week? Yeah, don't think so.

Roy let his hands fall limp at this sides, as he realized how the rest of his night would go.

First he'd tell Riza what the crazy old man was making him do.

Then he'd break up with her, shattering his heart in the process.

Next came the part where he'd try and live with the pain and guilt of a future without Riza.

Roy would meet his new girlfriend, and resist the urge to throw up as introductions were made.

At last, he'd go home, drown his sorrows in alcohol (probably vodka) and let his existence spiral into complete and utter misery.

Yep. that sounded about right.

Or, he might just end up spending the whole night crying, curled up in bed like a big baby.

_Some hero I am._

But one thing was for sure: He was going to walk away from this mansion with Riza safe, and the fraternization law gone. For good.

_God, I'm going to hell for sure._

He turned, his eyes falling on the one person he'd been dreading seeing.

Riza.

_Holy..._

_God…._

Riza had her hair pinned up in elaborate curls. Her usual bangs waved over her forehead to the side, golden and radiant.

She twirled around, letting her dress fly out around her.

Her dress was red. Fiery red. Passionate, blooming-roses, vibrant red. A slit running all the way up to her mid-thigh, emphasizing her impossibly long legs. She looked like a woman that could have any guy she wanted, which was (to some extent) was true.

It clung to the upper part of her body, and after her hips, fell in a satiny curtain all the way to just past her knees.

She had pouty red lips, which curled up into a smile when she set her eyes on her boyfriend.

"Roy!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around him.

His jaw still hung low, not having fully processed the sight of Riza dressed like… that. He spun her in the air, easily supporting her weight. He laughed, and the team discreetly looked over.

Dread, absolute dread washed over the garden. They quietly began to wander in different directions, letting Roy enjoy his last night with his perfect girl. One last night with the woman he loved.

He couldn't stop staring.

_Please don't make me do it. Not on a perfect night like this, when she looks like an angel._

When he finally set her back on her feet, she swayed for a moment, not quite used to the sacrifice heels required one to make. She noticed Roy's lack of words, and frowned, looking down at herself.

"I know, I know. It's looks awful, and the make up is too much, I bet my hair is-"

"You look beautiful."

She blinked. And then began blushing a red that rivaled the color of the silk dress the wore.

"Thank you, Roy," she said in a small voice.

He looked at her, seeing she wore a concerned expression.

"What? Is something wrong?"

"I should be asking you the same thing. You seem… off, Roy."

"I promise, I'm-"

"Don't give me that crap. Spill. I want the truth. _All of it."_ Riza had her 'no nonsense' tone, and Roy knew he was in trouble.

_Crap._

The remaining group members quickly scattered, leaving the garden entirely. Roy pushed his hair back, exhaling loudly.

He began to speak then, keeping his voice low for this part.

"I have been commanded to break up with you. The higher-ups heard about us and gave me two options. One, keep a relationship with you and have only you court-martialed. Or two, break your heart, I take the position of Fuhrer, and you get to chose whatever job in the military you want. You get to walk free, no humiliation. I have to..."

A strangled voice came out with the next few words

"-Date a nameless someone for six moths, publicly and everything. But I swear, I've never even met her, I don't know her name, and I'm only doing this for your sake. Hell. I wasn't even supposed to tell you."

"…You idiot."

"Riza, I can't just not take the better end of the deal. You get to keep your dignity, your job and the chance to find someone better for you."

_SLAP_

* * *

"Oh god, he's begun," Fuery moaned, covering his face in his hands.

Maes looked over at Havoc, who sat in a chair in the Fuhrer's lavish dining room.

"He's going to lose her this time."

Maria had tears shining in her eyes, as her lips tightened.

_I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry._

* * *

"OW!"

His cheek stung, and was starting to redden, leaving a mark in the exact shape of Riza's hand.

"You stupid idiot!"

He had his head hung low, as he prepared for her to deliver another blow.

She cupped his face instead, smoothing over his cheekbone with the pad of her thumb.

"Why would you do that? Do you really want to…?"

"What?! No, of course I don't want to leave you! But Riza, think about what would happen to you! You could lose your job, your dignity, or you could lose-"

"I could lose you. Is that what you're telling me? Roy, I'm a big girl. I can handle a little embarrassment."

"Little? A _little_ embarrassment? Riz, you could become the laughing stock of the whole country!"

"I don't care."

"Well I do! Riza, if I can keep you from harm's way, then I'm sure as hell going to do whatever it takes. You'd do the same for me!"

"I'm your bodyguard Roy. Of course I would."

"Forget our positions, our jobs, for just a moment. So, if I was in danger, and you _weren't_ responsible for my safety, and your job _didn't_ depend on it, you'd just let it happen? You would just stand by, knowing you could help me out somehow?"

"Of course I wouldn't! I love you, and it's my job to protect you!"

"Well, I love you too! And as your boyfriend, it's my job to protect_ you!_"

"No, it really isn't."

"Why? Why on earth would it not be my responsibility? People who love each other are supposed to support each other. That's how it works."

"You have more important things to focus on, Roy. You're going to change the country. And now that you're Fuhrer, you can."

"I… I can't do it," Roy admitted. "I can't just let you go. Why can you abandon me so easily? Do you even care?"

"I am not abandoning you!" Riza snapped. "I am giving you up for your own good! I love you more than anything else in the entire world! And I want more than anything, to allow myself to be a little selfish right now. But think of your future, Roy. How can I put myself first if it means denying your dream? Trust me, I'm doing you a favor in the long run."

"My own good? Leaving me heartbroken and alone, you call that a favor?"

"You get the position you always wanted! You'll be the Fuhrer, like you've always dreamed of!"

"And what's a dream without the people I love? Or rather, the person I love? Riza, I'll choose you over Fuhrer!"

Silence.

"What?" Came her strangled reply. "Roy, you can't mean that."

"I do."

"It's not even plausible, Roy. You weren't given another option. At least this way, you get what you want."

"But I want _you_. I don't care what Fuhrer Grumman threatens me with next but I…"

Riza had fallen into a furious silence.

_He..._

_He said earlier he had meddled, remember? At least, he hinted at it._

_No, he didn't..._

"Riza?"

"…Grumman. He'd the one that set the deal? He named the terms?" Riza spit through gritted teeth, the question itself practically quivering with rage.

"Umm, yeah. It was him. He's kind of a lunatic, you know. The last part of the deal was, well…"

Riza could tell Roy was reluctant to admit the next part, but she needed to know what _exactly_ her idiot grandfather had tried to set in motion.

"He said I'd have to date his granddaughter publicly for six months. If I broke her heart, the deal was over. And I also had to… uh… 'Spend a night with her' was how the Fuhrer worded it."

He winced, anticipating that he was about to be in serious trouble for agreeing to this.

Riza, however, could care less about Roy's part in all of this. If anything, she was happy he was looking out for her, even though the decisions he made were less than idiotic. He was in his own _category _of stupid. Honestly...

But another thought was on her mind now.

_I..._

_AM..._

_GOING…._

_TO KILL THE FUHRER._

Riza was absolutely seething, her whole body trembling in fury. She kicked her heels off, and let her face twist as she let out a low growl. She looked stunning, and positively terrifying.

"Damn you," Roy heard her snarl before she ran off toward the kitchen. She snatched his hand in hers, dragging him behind her.

What could Roy do? Other than stumble along, heels in hand, as he tried to find a reason as to why he wasn't the one in trouble.

* * *

**So, sorry this took so long. **

**But for real guys, I am so happy with all the support I've gotten since I posted the last chapter. I mean, I couldn't believe that so many people actually like the story so far!**

**Anyway, I'm kind of really super excited for Christmas, and can't wait to give presents. I'm not much for receiving presents, 'cause I never know what to ask for, but your comments, your positive reviews and feedback… I've never received anything better and more meaningful.**

**Remember, PM me, review, or something, I really love to talk to you guys. Every time I get a new review, I swear I squeal like a teenage girl. (Which I guess, is expected. *hint hint*)**

**See you around, **

**-Pyro**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or a****ny of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.**

**WhispersOfWings: Thank you, really. I know I sound like a stalker-y/freak-person thing… (Yeah, I'm good at english), but I really appreciate everything. Especially the comments.**

**DarkWinxGirl: Thanks for the messages. Love the reviews you've been leaving, I really love having such a dedicated reader and reviewer.**

**w-MuSiClOvEr-w (just saw you recently…)**

**Dash24zappshift (you as well…)**

**DaPandaGirl (Thanks! Happy Holidays to you too!)**

**And whoever the guests who were nice enough to leave a review… _PLEASE_ leave a name so I can give a proper thank you.**

**Now to everybody else… Hey. **

**I'MSORRYI'MSORRY****I'MSORRYI'MSORRY****I'MSORRYI'MSORRY****I'MSORRYI'MSORRY****I'MSORRYI'MSORRY**

**I didn't have time to write because I was in the Philippines and I'm _so_ jet-laggy (is that even a word?) because the times difference is so big and I'm really super sorry…**

**Moving on:I've been thinking…. Should I continue the story?**

**I was thinking of including the Elrics, and some slight EdWin. Like, not enough for them to be added as a coupling in this story, but enough for you to know they're one of my favorite pairings.**

**I was also thinking of having Edward (without alchemy) and Al (in his body) finding out about the research and eventually being forced to try and use it to save someone they love. Or Riza's journey to becoming a state alchemist…?**

**Ooh! I could maybe make that another story, as a sequel…?**

**I don't know. **

**I'm tired, I'm back in my regular time zone… (which is a fucking 10+ hour difference! I'm not going to tell you the actual difference 'cause then you might figure out where I live...) **

**Review/comment on your stance on the idea, because I really want to know. Remember, I check my story stats every nine hours or so. I can't really move on until I get enough ideas, or enough people to agree/disagree (or support) with what I just proposed.**

**Just one more thing to mention, when I start a new story (which I will, soon, I promise), I will continue to periodically check the stats (reviews/follows/favorites) of both stories. And that goes for all the stories I post from now on. **

**And Chapter 19 begins...**

* * *

Riza wove her way through the marble columns, ignoring the sensation of scraping skin against stone. Her feet positively ached, but the burning pain was dull in comparison to the fury coursing through her veins.

She was out for blood.

Riza was in an extremely volatile state, preparing to blow at a certain lunatic who had a tendency to dress as the opposite sex. Her anger was snowballing as she sprinted into the building. Roy was barely keeping up, too flustered to fully comprehend what was going on at the moment.

It was all happening so fast. One minute he'd been shattering his heart as he prepared to shatter hers, and the next she'd slapped him in the face. When he'd hastily tried to explain his inexcusable behavior, she'd paled and then set out on a murderous rampage.

Which led them back to where they were now.

Riza stomped in through the main hall, as Roy tried to clear his head and refocus his thoughts.

He, suddenly having come to his senses, tried to hold her back. She resisted, tugging her arm back as she continued to pull him along. He dug in his heels, and at this moment, he realized just how_ strong_ Riza really was. Maybe it was the adrenaline, or the concentrated rage, but his tactics were proving to be much less than successful.

She was slowed down, sure. But stopping? Yeah, uh huh, no.

Roy had her heels dangling from two fingers, and on the other hand, his fingers were entwined with her delicate ones.

_The pads of her fingers are kind of calloused_ Roy noted out of nowhere. _Probably from handling guns for so long._

He out his palm against her shoulder, soothing her for the moment. She slowed her irritated strides, relaxing into him.

"Whoa, whoa. What's got you so upset?"

Riza was breathing heavily, not due to any strain on her body, but because of the emotional stress she was enduring at the moment.

"I'm going to go murder the Fuhrer." Riza deadpanned.

Roy held her close, and she slumped into him as her sudden burst of energy drained.

"He's an asshole. A complete and utter asshole who should burn in hell. No, hell is too good for him... "

Roy looked down at her, as she mumbled her rantings into his chest. He smoothed her hair, as her angry tirade aimed at Grumman.

"Let's go kill him," Riza declared, grabbing his hand once more. He sighed, knowing he'd lose either way, dutifully followed her with his head hung low.

_Now we're really gonna get it._

With their fingers interlocked, Riza kicked open the door leading to the dining room.

The grand doors swung open, revealing Roy's subordinates (Maes isn't really one of his subordinates _yet_ but you get the idea) and a nervous Fuhrer.

They were seated at a long table, the Fuhrer at the far end. Rebecca was still crying into Havoc's shoulder, who was tearing up himself. Maes was seated opposite of him, head buried in his hands. Kain and Breda were discussing something somberly over the table, solemn looks on their faces. Falman was offering Maria a handkerchief, and she sniffled into the square of fabric.

The Fuhrer noticed the seething blonde in the open doorway first.

He nervously scrambled out of his chair, knocking it over by accident. The noise, startling the others, made their eyes first travel to the Fuhrer sort-of-cowering against the back wall.

He was looking at the open doors apprehensively, and the others could guess who he was looking at.

Either a heartbroken Roy, or a lifeless Riza. Maybe even both.

Then they followed his nervous line of sight, which lead to...

Not what they were expecting.

Well, at least they'd guessed the people right.

They _hadn't_ anticipated was flustered, bewildered Roy, holding a pair of heels the same stunning red as Riza's dress. His white shirt was slightly ruffled, and he looked as if he'd accidentally run through a bush. (Which, he technically _had_ done.)

What they _really_ hand't expected was the state of the woman holding his hand.

Riza was positively fuming.

She had her fists clenched at her sides, and the sounds she made resembling an angry bull.

Riza dropped Roy's hand.

She marched over to the other end of the table, slamming her palms down on the table.

The silverware rattled, as did the fine china plates and crystal glasses.

_Wow. He's really going out on this dinner, _Riza thought offhandedly. Her eyebrows drew back together as her thoughts returned to the problem at hand.

_His fault; he shouldn't have laid out the steak knives._

"You… Bastard…" She ground out at the man on the other side of the room.

The size of Rebecca's eyes grew tremendously.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now? God, I should've know you'd sink to something so low! What kind of asshole subjects someone to making a choice like that?! And then you had the nerve to practically sell your own granddaughter!" Riza growled out.

_Damn. He told her._ The Fuhrer mentally cursed himself for not having thought of this possibility. Of course Roy would think of telling her in secret. And Riza was pretty much guaranteed to react like this.

_Well, it's not like she wouldn't have found out either way..._

Maes looked at Roy, alarmed.

"You told her?"

"No," Roy answered sarcastically. "She's just read my mind and figured out the exact terms of a deal I never told her about."

"Well I'm sorry for asking," Maes huffed.

"Sorry. I'm just a bit annoyed right now," Roy said, smoothing his hair back.

"I apologize for using your Colonel like that, Lieutenant, but I needed a successor for the position of Fuhrer and I had to be sure if he was the right man for the job," The Fuhrer said, explaining his logic. Not like it mattered to Riza.

"You cynical old man," Riza said, throwing a steak knife at his head.

She missed by just barely an inch.

Deliberately, of course. Riza Hawkeye didn't miss if she didn't want to.

The knife quivered back and forth, buried at least two or three inches in the wall.

Maria stood quickly.

"Riza!" She exclaimed. "That's _the_ Fuhrer you've just tried to kill!"

_Though, she has a semi-legitimate reason..._

"Don't worry. She won't seriously make an attempt on my life," Grumman assured the room.

"No promises, old man."

"I'd like to see you actually try and murder me."

"I- If I wanted to- I could- I'm gonna- Argh!" Riza ended her sentence then, knowing her words would be lies if she continued.

"See, I told you so," The Fuhrer said smugly.

"Don't get too cocky now. I never said I had anything against removing a few fingers."

The others watched this exchange, as comebacks bounced back and forth. Riza kept the sharp retorts coming at a steady flow. The Fuhrer disregarded most of them with ease.

Both Maes and Roy had adopted a very perplexed look, and with good reason.

_Have they even spoken to each other before?_ Roy thought, trying to recall an time when they had. _Has she ever spoken to him? Like other than through reports? __I don't think she even met him when he came around to my house the other day._

The Fuhrer gulped nervously when Riza promised she would shoot a finger off if he ever did something that affected her Commanding officer ever again.

He knew that all bets were off when it came to her Colonel Mustang. that was a line he planned on never crossing again.

"Well _excuse _me for trying to get my granddaughter in a healthy relationship!"

"No, you're not excused! Your granddaughter is able to make her own decisions!"

"Wait, wait, stop for a second," said Maes from the side. "This whole deal was a test to see if Roy was able to make sacrifices for the greater good, and to set up your granddaughter?"

Grumman considered it for a moment. Riza snorted.

"Don't you _dare_ try and say it wasn't."

"I wasn't going to!" The Fuhrer protested. "I was just going to add that I wanted to test how much this man loved you!"

"And maybe I wanted a grandchild soon…" He muttered softly under his breath.

The whole room stopped and stared. Riza, lucky for her, was being paid no attention.

"What is wrong with you?!" Roy asked, surprised that this man was pushing this far, and with this much force. "Your granddaughter should be able to make her own choices, find who _she_ wants to be with!"

"I'm sorry, I really am! But regardless of this little bump in the road, the deal is still on."

"You've gotta be kidding me…"

"Don't force your granddaughter to be with me, Grumman," Roy began to warn darkly. "If it saves Riza then… I guess I'll cooperate with you for now. Anything for her. But that poor girl you're forcing me onto, deserves to be her own person! She doesn't need you throwing random guys at her, or you trying to get her to have children!"

_I'm not shoving any random person at my granddaughter..._

…And Riza was back to blushing furiously and trying to melt into the floor.

"Believe me Colonel, I'm not pushing you at her for no reason. I truly believe you'd make her happy, if you two really dated. You'd be a good husband for her, and I've decided to try and help get that going. Besides, I also want you as a grandson-in-law. You're a decent man, though your ego could sometimes use a good deflating. other than that, I see not problem with you joining the family."

"…."

"YOU CYNICAL OLD MAN!" Roy yelled over the table. "YOU"RE SUCH A SELFISH BASTARD!" Her reached for Riza' shoulder, seeing as she'd stopped moving, and it was beginning to worry him. Just a second away from comforting her. Less than an inch now...

"I was just trying to help my granddaughter," The Fuhrer said simply.

"I don't need your help!" Riza burst out.

Complete.

And.

Utter.

Silence.

Riza's words hadn't yet sunk into her own mind. And in the moment, she had completely forgotten her friends' presence in the room.

"I was fine the way me and Roy were! I'm fine with the way we _are!_ I love him, an he loves me! I know that for sure now."

She tools a few more steps forward, now less than a food from her grandfather.

"You want me to date Roy publicly? You want grandchildren?" Riza asked, stalking over to him. "You _wait. _You let whatever supposed to happen, happen like it was meant to. You can't meddle in everything, Grandfather. You can't just keep doing this. You've made my friends unnecessarily concerned, and you've dumped a whole load of shit on Roy. They're good people, you know. Amazing, wonderful people who really care about me. And you took advantage of that. You treated them like they're unimportant, and Roy like he was your puppet. And I am _not_ okay with that."

The Fuhrer looked somewhat remorseful now. But, he was not going to apologize for what he'd been _trying_ to prove.

"I appreciate you trying to help me. I know you're concerned about me, and you just want me to be happy. But grandfather," Riza said putting a hand on his shoulder. "I can take care of myself. If I want to date Roy, which I do, I should be able to make that choice on my own."

He nodded, understanding her point.

Now that she'd gotten that out of her system, one thing became very clear to her.

They weren't alone in the room.

Riza was now aware of the many pair eyes on her, and winced at the decision she'd just made without even meaning to.

They knew.

The truth had spilled out of her mouth, before she'd had a chance to choke it down. The secret she'd kept buried from the people she cared about most, even though she herself had only found out fairly recently.

_They know,_ Riza thought, horrified.

She slowly turned.

Rebecca, her limp hands and alarmed look.

Havoc's slumped shoulders.

Breda's shattered glass.

Maria stood, her chair toppling in a fashion much like the Fuhrer's chair had just moments ago.

Falman's silverware clattered on the marble floor.

Kain's hanging jaw.

Maes was stuttering, wringing his hands together.

And then there was Roy.

Roy's hand was frozen in the air, from when he'd reached out to hold Riza. To brush her bare shoulders, just so she would know he was there.

His eyes were huge, two white, perfect circles with dark, black pupils smack in the middle.

Riza stood, sheepishly next to the Fuh- No, her grandfather. She had the look of a guilty child, one who'd just been caught doing something naughty. Shame, almost. (It was an expression often worn in the office, though the roles were usually reversed.)

If Roy hadn't been too busy being utterly and completely bewildered, he would have been fawning over how cute it looked. (She was absolutely bashful and humiliated at the same time. She was practically red from her toes to her hairline.)

Her only remaining relative (presumably) was wearing a satisfied smile.

_That's…._

_That's..._

_He's her- But I thought…._

_And she knew… _

_But how did they- Why didn't I- Why did he make the-_

_Huh?_

Roy was in a state of complete disbelief.

Confusion.

"What. Just-" Roy began to ask when Riza interrupted, mortified. She knew what he was going to ask. They were two part of a whole, and she knew him well enough to know what was going on in his head.

"Yes. I'm his granddaughter."

"Then why didn't-"

"I didn't want anyone to think any less of you. People knew of your ambitions, and I guess I thought if they knew, they'd think you were just using me," Riza said, half lying. Truth be told, the idea of Roy using her for his own personal gain scared the absolute crap out of her. She was also ashamed. Ashamed that she'd known for so long and had hid it from him. By the time she had begun to consider telling him the truth, it'd been so long that he might lose his trust in her. That would have undoubtedly broken her heart.

"Why on earth would you-"

"It's part of my job to protect you."

_Sigh..._

"We're not discussing this again," Riza stated firmly.

Roy rubbed his eyes with his gloved hand (just regular white gloves, don't worry. He's not in any danger of having his eyebrows singed off.)

It then became very clear to Maes (who was still not moving) that this conversation had three possible outcomes.

One: Riza was going to start apologizing while Roy tried to keep her from getting upset.

Two: Riza and Roy were going to start fighting over this stupid topic. _Again._

Three: The third outcome… involved a lot of crying and yelling.

Turns out, Maes was right about all three.

"I'm sorry," Riza finally worked up the nerve to say.

"I should have told you."

"Damn right you should have told me!" Roy snapped, genuinely lashing out at Riza, something Maes had never witnessed before. If he had to guess, this was probably one of the only times this had happened. If not the _only_ time.

"I know," Riza said pathetically, letting the tough exterior creep up, and locking the emotions away. "But I just wanted to protect you."

"Oh for fuck's sake Riza! We've been over this! I don't need you to protect me from everything! You're my bodyguard. That doesn't require you to take it upon yourself to shield me from ever problem I'll ever have!"

"But I can still try," Riza said calmly. "And I promise you, as long as I'm still breathing: I'll never stop trying."

"What about me? How can I protect you when you're always throwing yourself in the path of bullets, worrying about the amount of sleep I'm getting, or if I've eaten enough? That's unfair, Riza, and you know it."

"I'm not-"

"I don't give a crap if you think you need my help or not. _I_ need to protect you._ I_ need to protect you, because I love you. If anything happens to you, if you ever-" Roy swallowed, misty-eyed at the mere thought of it. "Died, you'd better be ready to take me down with you. Because if you go, I'm following right after."

"Roy, you don't-"

"Tell me I don't really mean it and I swear Riza. I swear to fucking god…"

He took another step forward, analyzing the look on her face. Her eyes were still stormy and leaking tears, but there was something there that Roy couldn't quite read. At first.

"That's not the only reason why," Roy declared after a moment of silence. "There's something else you're not telling me. Spill."

"It's not," Riza said, defensively. "I'm not lying."

"No, you're not lying. But you're hiding something from me, and we both know that that's not how this works. Besides, I'll find a way to weasel it out of you, so just save yourself the trouble and confess," Roy said.

He continued to press the subject, and she began to crack. Slowly, but surely, she loosened.

Crumbling, Riza started to talk.

Though, very, very softly.

"I didn't want to lose…." Riza mumbled under her breath, knowing that Roy couldn't hear her.

"Riza," he chastised. Well, more like _warned._

"I didn't want to lose your trust in me." Riza said louder. "Happy?"

Roy was speechless. And didn't understand the female mind more than ever in this moment.

_How the fuck would that happen?_

"I wanted for so long for you to love me. Back when I thought it was impossible for you to really care about me. I found out before the Homunculi, and by the time I remembered I still hadn't mentioned it, it was too late. I'd already kept my secret for about a year. I didn't want to plant that seed of doubt in you. I kept postponing it, saying that eventually I'd get around to it."

"But I never did and I'm sorry," Riza finished, biting her lip to hold back the sniffles

It didn't help at all.

She was interrupted in her apologies, as she tried to tell Roy how inexcusable her behavior was.

Roy, alarmed when the first noise had come from her, cradled her in is arms.

She collapsed, and Roy swooped down just in time to catch her.

Keeling, he settled Riza on his knees, as she cried into his shirt.

"I'm sorry," she bawled, keeping her face buried in his chest.

"Shhh… It's okay. It's all okay," Roy soothed, stroking her hair. His fingers combed through straw-gold strand, effectively calming her a great deal. She still squirmed (with inner toil, he guessed) in his arms, restless.

"I didn't mean to keep it from you for so long."

"It's… it's okay," Roy struggled to say. He was hurt. Just a a little.

_Did she think I couldn't handle the secret? Did she think I'd use her to my own advantage?_ A small, doubtful part in his mind asked.

"No! That's not it!" Riza cried.

Roy then realized he'd spoken out loud.

"I trust you, I trust you with my life! You'd never use me like that, but I had to think about other people! _I_ know you'd never do that, but what about all the other assholes out there? They'd try and use this against you, and make you a disgrace! To them, wouldn't they think it's suspicious if you became Fuhrer after becoming so close to the old Fuhrer's only remaining relative?

"I was selfish," Riza admitted, looking down as she twisted her calloused fingers together. "I just wanted you to not hate me, I wanted that so bad. But now, I guess… I guess I just delayed the inevitable."

"You idiot."

_Don't leave me. _Riza pleaded silently, hoping he could find it in his heart to eventually start to forgive her.

Riza head shot up at the phrase she had grown accustomed to saying to him.

"Please forgive me," Riza said, her vulnerability shining clearly through her eyes.

"Why the hell would I do that?" Roy asked. Riza felt the tears well up in her eyes, and felt as if something had just impaled her through the stomach.

Roy's eyes immediately widened with alarm.

"No, no no no that's not what I meant!" He insisted, his hands waving wildly as he tried to calm the sorrowful woman who had tears threatening to spill over the edges of her eyes.

"I meant to say that there's no reason for me to forgive you, because there's nothing you've done wrong," Roy lips hurriedly wormed words as her tried to keep that _awful_ expression off her face.

Rejection.

Sadness.

Fear.

Riza was _not _allowed to ever look like that. Never again would he watch her suffer. Internally, or externally.

"Besides, I don't think it's even _possible_ for us to hate each other," Roy joked, though he was only half kidding.

Riza nervously played with a strand of her hair, not quite believing the part where Roy unconditionally loved her.

_Jesus do I have to convince her of this again?_ Roy groaned at Riza's lack of faith in herself.

"Could you ever hate me?" He asked peering into her eyes. "Could you ever really resent me enough to _hate_ me?"

"No," Riza responded without even thinking, without hesitation.

"Then why would you ever think I could feel that way about you?" Roy asked.

"I… I just thought that-"

"Well you thought wrong," Roy informed her. "You're almost as stupid, if not more stupid than I am, if you think that I'd ever turn my back on you. I am here to stay, Riza. Whether you like it or not."

"Our feelings are the same. And now, we're both idiots."

The Fuhrer was welling up with happiness in the corner, practically beaming at Roy's display of affections.

"Well no, I do believe you've earned yourself the role of Fuhrer," he declared with an air of pride.

Roy, speechless (having forgotten about the whole deal already) and dumbfounded, had Riza hoisting him up before he had fully understood the meaning of Grumman's words.

"That's right, Mustang. In next few weeks or so, I'll be officially transferring my title to you. The process begins tomorrow. Congratulations, boy." Grumman shook Roy's hand, which was limp. The Flame Alchemist was currently staring at their joined hands, then his gaze flitted up to meet the current Fuhrer's.

Then back down.

And right back up.

"Roy?" Riza asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Roy?"

_I'm..._

_I'm the Fuhrer?!_

He stumbled back, clutching his hand to his chest.

_Wow._ He blinked, straightening. _That, that really just happened._

"But remember," Grumman warned in a growl, light reflecting off of his glasses dangerously. "You break her heart, I break you. I don't care about the six months. You hurt my granddaughter, you're gonna hurt too. A lot."

_Aww shit,_ Riza mentally face-palmed. _He's always wanted to do this. Now he has a reason. _

_The protective parent-act._

"If I ever hurt her," Roy stated without any trace of humor. "You have my permission to shoot me right in the back of the head. In fact, Riza should have the honor herself."

The Fuhrer blinked.

His lips pulled back, stretching into a full-blown shit-eating grin.

"Well then, seems like we _can_ reach an agreement."

He enveloped Roy in a hug, clapping him on the back.

"Great!"

He then leant in close whispering softly in his ear.

Riza didn't notice.

Lucky for Grumman.

"This is my last push," he said softly. "You have two weeks. Time for you kids to have your first date. Start planning."

And with that, he released Roy, let Rebecca's rapid fire questions fill the air, and Maes' camera clicked just a few more times.

Well...

Maybe a bit more than a few times.

* * *

**Hey guys. **

**Thanks for reading, and remember: I REALLY need to know what you guys want me to do with this story next. if you vote to end it, the next chapter is probably the last chapter.**

**Which, I can't even _start_ until I get some feedback!**

**Bye,**

**-Pyro**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or a****ny of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.**

**First off, this chapter is dedicated to:**

**Curious0309**

**Vampirsha518**

**DarkWinxGirl**

**WhispersOfWings**

**DaPandaGirl**

**Schrodinger no Neko**

**AND WHOEVER THE GUEST IS PLEASE LEAVE A NAME NEXT TIME. **

**Now that I'm done with that….**

**Hi. **

**So, this is the end. **

**I'm so happy to have met so many amazing people, who really liked my story, and had nice things to say. You're all so supportive of my work, and always give me your honest opinion. **

**Thank you for that.**

**But on the other hand…. I've decided to write a sequel.**

**YAYYYY!**

**You guys were right, continuing this story after this would be a bit much, and there really does need to be a break between the next big transition. I'm so excited to continue this story, and I'm happy that I can hear more from all of you! I've decided to build on the ideas I shared in the AN of the last chapter, though, I'm not sure how well my ideas are going to work. So...**

**In the reviews for this chapter, I want all of you to pitch your ideas, share what you_ personally_ want to see in my story. Whatever you think would help my story, I want to hear it. **

**My ideas suck, and it's most important that you guys of all people like what's going on. **

**If I get reviews saying that I _shouldn't_ continue with the sequel idea after this chapter, then fine. I won't. But if I do start my sequel, I promise that it'll be published within the next two weeks. **

**This is more a filler chapter than anything, so I'm sorry for that. But I promise, I'll try and make the sequel not totally suck. **

**Everybody, this is the end of The Burden On Her Back….**

**So let the ending… begin.**

* * *

"Did you hear? Lieutenant Hawkeye is the Fuhrer's granddaughter!"

"Grumman is dropping the fraternization laws?!"

"Riza Hawkeye and Roy Mustang are _together?!_ As in, like dating?! I KNEW IT!"

Roy smirked, as he sauntered back to his office. (Well, it wouldn't be his office for much longer. All that was going to change very soon.) Havoc followed closely behind, filling in as Roy's bodyguard in Riza's absence. On his way back from the bathroom, his presence rekindled the rumors that had been flying around the whole building the entire week.

"I heard that Roy Mustang is gonna be the new Fuhrer within the next month or so!" On female (a secretary, not an officer) dared to say in the close proximity of the Flame Alchemist. Her friend (also a secretary), twirled a strand of bleach-blonde hair around her finger. She snorted, and when she opened her ridiculously pink lips, her nasally voice came rushing out.

"Yeah, I bet," she said with a snort. Roy flinched as he walked by. He voice was probably the most irritating, annoying, unpleasant thing he'd ever heard. "That blonde bitch who works under him, Something-eye or whatever, its Fuhrer Grumman's granddaughter. She probably promised him the position of Fuhrer if he became her banging buddy. What a slut." She ended with a sneer.

She hadn't meant for Roy Mustang to hear.

Unfortunately for her, he had. Every. Single. Word.

He froze in his tracks, shoulders tense and fingers ready to snap. (It was a bad habit he couldn't seem to break. It was becoming quite a problem, actually. Sometimes his fingers accidentally slipped.) He spun on his heel, suddenly face-to-face with the airhead, jealous artificial blonde.

"What did you say about my Lieutenant?" He growled, leaning awfully close. He didn't give her any time to resound. She paled, now whiter than the cloth on Roy's fingers.

"I was just uh- just saying that-"

"Forget it. Whatever you have to say is a lie."

He backed up, never once breaking eye contact with the terrified (but still a jerk) inferior worker.

"Listen here!" He yelled, drawing all eyes to him, and the woman he was intimidating at the moment.

"I **am** going to be Fuhrer next month. My team is going to be moving up the ranks with me. And my Lieutenant, my subordinate, my _girlfriend_," the whole hall was in a standstill at his term referring to Hawkeye. "If I hear one bad word against her, against us, or a question as to why I'm with her… there will be a lot of charred bodies to hide and a bunch of new job opportunities for positions in this building this time next month. Do I make myself clear?" He asked, and the question hung in the air, unanswered.

He relaxed in satisfaction. Havoc promptly closed his mouth, which had hung slightly open just a second ago.

"Good."

And with that, he retreated to his office, Havoc right behind him.

Havoc turned back to smirk at the bleach-blonde.

"Mess with the woman ever again, and I can guarantee that there will be a very long line of people waiting to get their hands around your throat," Jean called over his shoulder.

No one dared to call his bluff.

Because they all knew he wasn't.

* * *

"He did what?" Riza asked, eyes wide as Havoc told her what had transpired in the hallway the day before. She had been out, helping the Fuhrer prepare for his retirement. Also, she was in charge of Roy's transfer. Papers had to be read through, forms had to be filled out, and boxes had to be packed up and moved from place to place.

"You did what?" Riza asked again, her head whipping in Roy's direction. He looked proud, something Riza noted in the back of her mind with a bit of happiness. However, she was not happy.

Angry, not so much either.

Embarrassed was more like it.

_I don't regret it in the slightest._

_Nope, you couldn't PAY me to take it back._ Even Roy's thoughts were smug.

Roy was leaning back in his chair, calm on the surface. Underneath, however, he was ready for the scolding. The yelling the typical 'you idiot!' and then she threaten to shoot him. She take out the gun, and miss his head by half an inch and reload. She stalked up to the large mahogany desk, putting her hands on his desk.

He cringed slightly, when Riza's face was suddenly devoid of any color or any expression.

Totally blank.

He prepared himself for the yelling.

"Oh, that's _so_ embarrassing!" Riza cried, mortified.

_Wait, what?_

"You told her off in the middle of the whole hallway? With all those people watching?" Riza squeaked, imagining the scene. (Like the theater in Tamaki Suoh's mind in OHHC)

"She called you a slut Riza. I'm not just gonna a let her walk away after that."

She was flushed an adorable cherry blossom pink, going with the golden-blonde of her hair. He chuckled, ruffling her hair as she then decided to press her forehead against the shiny wooden tabletop.

"Everyone in the whole building probably knows by now!" She exclaimed.

He laughed, as did the others in the room at that time.

"That's what you're worried about? Eventually, you know, they were bound to find out somehow."

"But-"

"Aww, you're so cute, and hilarious to watch when you're embarrassed!" Havoc said with a throaty laugh as he casually threw an arm around her shoulder. "Who would've guessed it?"

"I knew that," Rebecca muttered to Maria. She nodded in agreement. "If there's anything we learned from that one time in the academy and she-"

Riza silenced the two with a deadly look.

_Say one more word, and I will end you._

Rebecca noticeably gulped, and Maria scurried to cower/hide behind Maes, whose eyebrows were quirked at this new piece of information.

_Well, well, well. What have we here? I hear a new story opportunity…._

Roy's eyebrow climbed further up his forehead as Riza groaned.

"Not gonna let it go, huh?" She clarified, turning to Maes.

"No chance."

She huffed.

"Fine."

Roy eagerly propped his chin up in his hands, elbows on the desk. Riza rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"So…." Rebecca continued, now sure that she wasn't in any danger of getting strangled, "We all were hanging out at some café, and Riza got really hot and stuffy because she was wearing a sweater, and it was laundry day. Y'know, one of those pull-over-the-head hoodies? Yeah, she went to take it off and lifted her shirt halfway up her chest before Maria leant over and yanked it back down. Then some sexist bastard whistled and said something about her bra in front of the whole place! Man, you should've seen her face right before it turned into that look she gets when she'd about to murder someone. She looked like she wanted to just die right then and there!"

And Roy," she added seeing his expression. "Don't even bother. Riza socked him right in the face and broke his nose after."

"That's my girl." He said fondly. She smiled back cheekily.

"So," Maes said, rubbing his hands together. "Who else had any embarrassing stories about the golden couple?"

Riza and Roy locked gazes, thinking more or less the same thing.

_Good lord, somebody save us._

* * *

The vibrations of the car hummed pleasantly under Riza as she gazed out the window.

Roy looked over at her, one hand on the steering wheel, and the other slid over the leather seat to touch hers. She grasped his fingers tightly, smiling with the knowledge that he was all hers.

She stroked the scar on the back of his hand with her thumb.

Guilt immediately washed over her.

That day, that fight with Lust when she'd thought she'd lost hime. The first time she'd ever cried in front of an enemy. The only time she'd crumbled and given up in the middle of a fight.

She glanced down at his abdomen, where she knew burn marks lay under his uniform. He looked over at her, noticing her troubled look. Lost in thought with her eyebrows pulled together and her lips pursed.

"What? What's wrong?"

She smiled at him, a small smile gracing her face.

"Oh, nothing," she said almost airily. He pulled her closer, knowing that no one could see them through the tinted windows. They were on a long stretch of open road, still on the way to Riza's house.

"You liar," he accused, still not looking down at her. Her tone all by itself had given it away.

"I am not!"

"You really think I can't tell when you're lying? Your lack of faith is concerning, Riz."

"…"

You know I'm gonna just keep asking, right?"

"…Look, it's really no big deal, okay?"

"I'm warning you, Riza…."

"I-"

"Riza…"

"I just, I forget sometimes, y'know," she said softly after a few beats of rest, looking back down at the faded lines. "And then I remember all over again, and it feels a little bit like being slammed into by a train out of nowhere."

Roy, confused looked down at her, then followed her line of sight to his hand. He sighed.

"Riza, I'm not doing this agai-"

"I know. I just feel bad, and nothing you could ever say will change my mind," Riza sighed, relaxing into him, leaning against his shoulder. "I should've been there when it happened. When you had to sear your own wound shut, when you had to carve your own skin. I should've been there when Havoc was impaled, and I should've killed Lust myself, the bitch."

"Riza," he said with in a way that made her suspicious that he was holding back a laugh. "There was no way you could've done that. I mean, regardless of your emotional state, when you broke down and started talking nonsense of just letting her kill you-"

"How did you know about that?" Riza asked, pulling back a little bit to look at him questioningly. "You only got there after all of that, and then you passed out right after we laid you down."

"I asked Alphonse," he admitted. "I could barely remember anything from that day, except for you crying on your knees looking like you were ready to die. He wouldn't tell me, at first. But I eventually convinced him that I _needed_ to know, and he told me."

"You could barely had any, no scratch that, you didn't have _any_ ammunition left. How the hell were you gonna…" He trailed off, seeing her twitching fingers and her sheepish look.

One.

Two.

Three...

Then it hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Why didn't you use your fire? Why were you just going to let her kill you?" He demanded.

"In all honesty, I probably would've, one I came to my senses. If I get angry enough, and let the tension guid, I eventually just burst into fire. That day, I could feel it building behind my eyes, about to force itself out of me. I mean, I couldn't just let your murderer walk away freely, and I didn't want to live anymore after that, so I had nothing to lose at that point. I'd been debating whether or not to just die with you, or try and and kill her. But I had no plans of surviving either, so I decided to kill her and just shot myself. But you beat me to it, obviously." Riza said, abashed.

Roy wasn't really going to dig into the sort-of death wish/half-assed suicide plan now. He probably would've reacted the same way, if he was being honest. It didn't mean he approved, because he sure as hell did _not_, but he understood where she was coming from. Though, he had one more question….

"Why didn't you ever use it before then?"

"I didn't want to upstage you. Y'know, 'wound your ego' or however men see it," Riza said with a shrug. "You didn't need me as a fellow flame alchemist, you needed me as 'The Hawk's Eye,' your bodyguard. Besides, I was asked to bring you to the top, not beat you there."

Her logic (somewhat) made sense to him. But her level of self-sacrifice was...

Wow.

"All these years? And even in Ishval… You kept this secret because you didn't want to outshine me?"

"Well…. that among a few other things, but yeah," Riza said. "I mean, I hadn't really thought about applying to become an official state alchemist before you decided to do it. It definitely wasn't necessary for my job to use this, and I really didn't have any control over the fire until after the Homunculi." Anticipating his question, she ran a hand through her hair.

"I started practicing after you were attacked by Lust," she explained, and he turned to look at her in surprise. "I hated feeling so useless, and I decided if your life depended on it, I'd use it. Reputation or not, you surviving was most important. I practiced whenever I got home, whenever I had the free time. I almost burned down my apartment a couple of times, actually."

"Ha! I'm not the only one who screwed up the beginning!" Roy cheered. Riza rolled her eyes at his immaturity.

"At least _I_ didn't singe my eyebrows off," Riza piped up. Roy scowled at the open road in front of them, remembering how long Maes had waved that in front of his face.

"… You know, I used to try and help you a little bit. Added just a little to your alchemy notes after you'd passed out and I had to get you to bed," Riza informed him almost indifferently.

The car came to a screeching halt, and Riza's momentum threw her into the dashboard.

She been expecting it, of course, and had been holding her hand out, bracing for impact.

Thankfully, not one car was in sight on the long stretch of seemingly-endless road.

Roy, dumbfounded, stared over at her.

Riza grinned at him awkwardly, biting her lip.

"…I guess I should've mentioned that earlier, huh?"

Roy remained silent, and Riza was afraid of how intense his reaction would be.

_Is he angry?_ The little voice in her head asked meekly.

Roy didn't make a sound. Other than shallow breathing, that is.

"Ohhhhhhh, that explains _a lot_," Roy sighed. He put a hand to his forehead as he pushed his foot down on the pedal. With a sigh of relief, he turned to her, positively beaming.

"Jesus Riza, why didn't you just tell me you were adding things behind my back? I thought I was going crazy, discoveries I couldn't remember making! Man, Maes and Havoc even made me go to a therapist! For a whole month!" Roy exclaimed, as pieces all fit together.

"But, wait, how come I never noticed your handwriting in my notes? I mean, I _definitely_ know your handwriting."

"I learned to forge your handwriting," Riza said nonchalantly. "Ever wonder how sometimes you'd go to lunch and about a third of your paperwork was done?"

"Yes! Oh god, it all makes sense now. Wait 'till I tell Maes: I didn't need professional help!" He the performed a series of strange movements that Riza suspected to be some sort of victory dance.

"I told him! I fucking told him so! HA!"

Roy calmed enough to look half-ashamed.

"Now I feel bad for making you do so much extra work," Roy said, swerving calmly around a pothole in the middle of the road.

"Aww, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel less useful" Riza said guiltily.

"But if it makes you feel better, I used to reload your guns and swap them out with modified models when you weren't looking."

"Oh, I knew it!" Riza said, snapping her fingers (In recognition! She's not trying to blow up the car!). "My favorite gun, I noticed it was better balanced than it was when I bought it!"

"You have a favorite gun?"

"Yeah. You don't have a favorite glove?"

"I mean, the attacks I use are specific to each hand and I-"

"So? What's your favorite attack?"

"I-It depends, I guess?"

"Just in general."

"Umm, I guess it's the right…? No, the left maybe….?" Roy scratched his head, trying to find a way to express what he was thinking in a way that made sense.

Riza laughed, and leant her her head into the crook in her neck.

_He's funny when he's flustered and confused._

"You're funny when you're confused, you know that?" Riza asked, echoing part of her last thought. He kissed the top of her head, his free arm draped over her shoulders. She twirled a few strands of his hair around at the nape of his neck. (Literally the epitome of the perfect couple… Am I wrong?)

Pulling up to her house, Roy parked the car and held the door open for Riza.

When she'd opened the door to her house, then turned around to say goodnight to Roy, he was blushing from his hairline all the way down his neck.

_What's wrong with him?_

He fiddled with a button in his jacket, before looking up to meet her gaze.

"Uh, Riza… D'you maybe wanna… would you consider possibly…."

"Yes…?" Riza said, still anticipating the real question that was bound to come out eventually. Sooner or later he'd fess up.

"What?" Riza asked, walking closer to him. She put a hand to his still-reddening face. "Do you have a fever or something? Are you feeling okay?"

"Rizawouldyougooutwithme?" He spit out, the string of words not quite reaching her ears.

"Roy, you're gonna have to spe-"

"Riza, will you go out on a date with me tomorrow night ?" He stuttered nervously.

She grinned, her lips pulling back to show her (blindingly white, I might add) teeth, and beamed at him. She launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck and standing on her tiptoes so their heads were almost level.

"I'm so glad you final grew a pair and asked me," Riza breathed into his ear, just before releasing him and saying goodbye with a wink.

"See you at seven."

As the door slammed shut behind her, he let out a whoop and pumped a fist in the air.

Riza, still listening and leaning against the other side of the door, smiled.

And then amusedly listened to the noises he made as he preceded to fall backwards down her front steps.

* * *

Riza had a migraine.

It just now occurred to her that she should have waited until _after_ the date to alert her friends of the upcoming event. It had been less that 24 hours since he'd asked, and she now stood in her room, in her underwear, as Rebecca held out two _identically_ colored lipsticks.

"Riza," Rebecca said, her entire body trembling with excitement. "Pick one."

Riza rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest as she bent one knee. (You know, they typical girl stance…)

"Rebecca, they're_ exactly the same._" Riza stressed each word, trying to understand the mentality of a typical female older than 15. She'd never been one for makeup, even the lipstick she'd worn to the Fuhrer's party had been selected by Maria as a Valentine's Day gift.

"No, Riza," Rebecca stated calmly, as she repeatedly counted to ten in her head. Riza was personally offended; her dear friend was treating her like a five year old. "This," she said, holding up a tube "this is 'Rosy Valentine.' and this," she said, holding up the other one and moving it so it was barely an inch from Riza's face. "This color is 'Sugar Tulip.' See the difference?"

"No."

Rebecca sighed.

"I have failed you as a mother."

"Rebecca, you're not my mother."

"But I might as well be! Me, and Maria, are the only female influences you've got! It's our job to make sure you understand makeup!"

Maria then walked in, holding a bag that Riza highly suspected contained at least one pair of shoes.

"Oh. Riza, so which one do you like better?"

"They're the same damn color!" Riza exclaimed, throwing her hands up.

Maria mock-gasped, and turned to Rebecca, winking.

"We have a _lot_ of work ahead of us."

* * *

Roy had never felt so useless in his life.

Havoc and Maes stood at his side as he tried to focus his thoughts. Havoc patted his shoulder sympathetically, knowing he wasn't going to be much help to his friend in this situation.

Maes, unsure as to what Roy had screwed up while they'd left him to go to the bathroom, had his camera at the ready, knowing whatever was about to go down was going to be _hilarious._

Roy squared his shoulders, and reached his hand out, and grasped the car door handle.

He pulled.

A wave of flowers came pouring out, various petals and plants pooling at their feet. The assortment of spilled petals and stems had a very strong, perfume-y scent.

Maes blinked.

Roy could practically feel him thinking it.

"The shop was about to close and I couldn't remember her favorite flower, okay?"

Maes threw back his head and began to laugh.

* * *

Riza tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, and straightened the collar of her blazer.

_**So** glad Maria intervened and said I didn't need makeup._

She wore a white scoop neck shirt, and a royal blue blazer over that. She had on black pants (like black skinny jeans) and a pair of semi-heeled boots that laced up to just below her knee.

She looked back at Maria and Rebecca, and unsure look gleaming in her eyes. They ushered her forward to the front door, and she nervously open the door.

Standing there, leaning against the door holding a bouquet of flowers in a way that made her think he was as nervous as she felt, was Roy Mustang.

He had wrapped the arrangement in white paper, and tied is neatly together with a blue bow. He held the flowers out to her, and Riza took them gratefully.

"Thanks you! You didn't have to, you know."

Roy shrugged, secretly happy with how pleased she looked.

"You deserve them."

Maria winked at him over Riza's shoulder, and he recalled the conversation he'd had with her maybe half an hour ago.

_"Hey Maria?" Roy asked meekly. Maria spoke into the phone, twirling the cord around her finger as Riza and Rebecca bickered about what Riza was going to wear._

_"Yeah, Roy? something wrong?"_

_"I was just wondering, do you know what Riza's favorite flower is"_

_Maria chuckled, realizing he had absolutely no clue in this area. _

_"She doesn't really have a favorite. Just nothing yellow or orange, okay?"_

_Roy relaxed, happy that a sixth of his options were finally eliminated. Thank god that she didn't have a particular favorite, because he couldn't really tell the difference between half of them._

_"Thanks."_

She gave him a thumbs up, noticing that the collection was mainly comprised of whites, red and some pinks.

He sighed in relief, happy that he'd finally gotten something right.

"Shall we go?" He asked with a smile. She grabbed him by the wrist, and pulled him behind her outside.

"Yes."

* * *

Two hours later, Roy was smiling so wide his face hurt.

He held hands with Riza as they walked down the street, earning adoring looks from many people as they passed.

They'd just left the restaurant, a nice italian place that Roy had been recommended by Maes. As they walked, Riza was suddenly bumped into by a teenage girl and her friends.

The two females fell to the ground, landing in a heap of tangled limbs. Riza tried to push her hair out of her eyes, and push herself up into a sitting position.

The other girl scrambled to her feet apologizing at the fallen woman while one of her companions fussed over her, asking if she was alright. She waved him off, holding a hand out to help her up.

"I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" She asked, pulling Riza up. Riza, finally successful in blowing her hair out of her eyes, answered:

"I'm fine, thanks. And I'm so sorry, I should've been looking where I was-"

She stopped, finally recognizing the face in front of her.

Roy gasped behind her.

"Winry? Winry Rockbell?" She turned to face the two gaping friends.

"Edward? Alphonse?"

* * *

**So… TBOHB is finally over...**

**Hope you don't hate the ending too much! It's join got lead into the sequel which I am going to post really, really soon .I promise. Probably within the next week and a half or so. **

**Thank you all so much for the support and the comments; I might not have finished this without your encouragement.**

**I really will miss all of you.**

**Thank you once again; for the last time on this story,**

**-Pyro**


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